Birdman | Review

Recent ventures to the cinema, with a friend, brought me to watch the spectacular, thought-provoking film, that is Birdman. Alejandro González Iñárritu created Birdman in an interesting, inventive way of pure art. The tale to match the style tells of the struggle for dexterity, family and sanity; done brilliantly throughout.

Michael Keaton plays Riggan Thomas, a washed up movie actor- known best for his recurring trilogy of ‘Birdman’, back in the 90s- fighting his way onto broadway for prestige amongst the theatre actors. Now broke, separated from his wife and struggling in a relationship with his daughter and assistant (played by Emma Stone) his fight for fame becomes a matter of importance, as he opts to write, direct, and star in a Broadway show based on the Raymond Carver story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”.

However, with a last minute replacement to one of the leads, Mike Shiner (played by Edward Norton)- a renowned theatre actor- who steps in to offer his expertise gives threat to Riggan's glory. This change begins to give benefits: more tickets, fresh acting style and popularity; to name a few. In spite of this, the showmanship of Shiner brings anguish to Riggan, who thrives for the acclaim in which Mike receives. This brings self-doubt, fear and above all the question: 
will the public ever be eager to accept him back into the limelight again?

Alejandro González Iñárritu, the Mexican film director (most known to audiences for Babel and 21 Grams) crafted Birdman by writing and directing it to be a dark comedy, on the edge of the current popularity buzz of the superhero genre. This, and the breathtaking acting, mesmerising cinematography and thought provoking cinematic threads, make Birdman a force to be reckoned with this award season.

The advertisements for Birdman show the film to be alike with the works of marvel and DC, not to mention the previous Batsuit adorning Keaton, who is recognisable with the genre. However if you are in search of a solely superhero film you’re barking up the wrong tree, as this film is about a father’s struggle, actors fight, lover’s worry and a business partner- not a superhero. The actual Birdman serves as a self loathing voice in the head of Riggan, who drip feeds doubt and insecurity in the ear of the protagonist- much like a malevolent Jiminy Cricket. This part is a back murmur to the actual point of the film.

Keaton leads the force of actors behind Birdman, with perfection. He plays the part to his full ability; the fact that the audience knows his own former position of a A list superhero only adds to the interest of Keaton’s performance. Though this knowledge is only a small amount of subtext background- because Keaton’s sincerity, talent and capability serve as the foundation of a great turn as Thomson. Although he has a long line of previous iconic jobs, Birdman can be named his strongest and most memorable.

With only Keaton being the soul part for the film, it would of done just fine, but- what makes it great is the numerable strengthening supporting roles from considerably small parts, such as Zach Galifiankis’ and Naomi Watts’ contributions. Also the larger roles supply more backbone to the film, one of these is Emma Stone, who plays Riggan’s daughter, a ex-druggy, with clear daddy issues for Shiner. Possibly the scene most fresh in mind, is the monologue Stone carries out to drive a metaphoric dagger into Riggan’s heart. You can feel the emotion and the raw sense of anger, it is just brilliant. Edward Norton also gives perhaps the performance of his life, much different from his previous roles in films such as Fight Club (1999), American History X(1998) and Primal Fear(1996). The character could be self centred, vapid and one sided, however Norton brings it to life with multiple perspectives; giving an interesting, worthy role.

Through impossibly long, intricately choreographed tracking shots, the camera swoops through narrow corridors, up and down tight stairways and into crowded streets. It comes in close for quiet conversations and soars between skyscrapers for magical-realism flights of fancy. A percussive and propulsive score from Antonio Sanchez, heavy on drums and cymbals, maintains a jazzy, edgy vibe throughout. Sure, you can look closely to find where the cuts probably happened, but that takes much of the enjoyment out of it. Succumbing to the thrill of the experience is the whole point.

From start to finish Birdman supplies tension, excitement and humour. The dark comedy offers more than meets the eye, more than can be comprehendible at first sight of the adverts. I highly recommend anyone who values good cinema to watch and appreciate the thought and work that went in to making Birdman.

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