Birdman (or the unexpected virtue of ignorance) Movie Review

Alejandro González Iñárritu , the first Mexican film director to be nominated for Oscars has created movies that have resulted in hit after hit with critics everywhere and his newest project is certainly capable of continuing that thread. His newest offering is Birdman, a film which proves that technical aspects can make just as big an impact on audiences as plot and characters can.

Birdman (or the unexpected virtue of ignorance) follows faded film star Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) who is directing and acting in an adaptation of "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” on Broadway in New York. Despite his high position in the play however, Riggan’s profession is anything but enjoyable; he often argues with his colleagues, and his relationship with his daughter Sam (Emma Stone) is fragile at best. Riggan dreams of returning to Birdman, an eighties superhero series that made him famous and as we see, this dream has become an obsession, creeping into his mind at several moments to feed his ego for acting. The film mostly follows Riggan as he interacts with the other characters and makes preparations and rehearsals for the play’s opening night. The pacing is as tight as it gets for a drama; there are no slow scenes where little happens or any moments that take place a day or two later. The film stays on task with the plot it sets out to convey and as such, never loses the audience’s attention; you just can’t take your eyes off the film because there’s always something going on. The film’s only real problem is that towards the end, many of the characters who played sizeable roles and had strong interactions with Riggan don’t really receive any kind of payoff. Does Mike Shiner (Ed Norton) overcome his arrogant ways? Does Lesley (Naomi Watts) go on to something bigger on Broadway? None of these questions are answered as the film focuses its entire attention on concluding Riggan’s story. Whilst Birdman’s ending does leave a lot to be desired, the journey there is more than worth it, laced with a wide array of humorous and memorable moments.

Despite not getting the closure they deserve, Birdman’s characters are all very well rounded and interesting. Keaton is very intriguing and charismatic as Riggan Thomson, arguably one of the best roles he has had in years. Playing off both his obsession with Birdman and his management of the play, it makes for a highly unpredictable character arc; will he return to the series that made him famous or will he step back into the spotlight some other way? I found Riggan to be slightly similar to the character of Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman in that he finds himself absorbed in his visions of Birdman; these scenes do a great job of emphasising just how much the Birdman character means to the protagonist. The other side characters played by Ed Norton, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts may not have as much focus as Keaton but they all bring their own talents to the film; Norton as the arrogant, full-of-himself Mike Shiner and Stone as Riggan’s recovering addict daughter in particular have some great chemistry on screen. All told, it’s clear the cast members of Birdman are working at their best to make the character’s presence felt throughout the film.

Birdman’s cinematography is simply a stroke of genius; outside of three other takes, the film is shot without any kind of normal transitions. The camera continuously and constantly follows the characters, transferring seamlessly between scenes as they move about the different rooms and areas of the theatre environment and when the action is confined to a static location, such as when the characters are rehearsing the play, the camera will rotate, giving a varied view of the proceedings. The film’s use of a single take means that we never leave the perspective of the characters and the film’s pacing is always moving forward, keeping the audience engaged. The interesting techniques don’t end here; there’s also an extensive use of mirrors during character conversations which places greater emphasis on the emotive side of the cast’s performances. Drums and other instruments enter the film to signify the more intense moments and a minimal use of computer generated imagery is present to put across Riggan’s wild imagination and desire to return to the titular superhero he was once renowned for. Overall Birdman’s presentation compliments the plot incredibly well, tying in with the hectic nature of putting on a play at the theatre.

Aside from a lack of closure in its ending, Birdman is nevertheless a very well-crafted movie; the cast all turn in brilliant performances, drawing you into the story and the film’s fascinating editing style is something that has to be seen to be believed.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars