I am almost confident in calling Birdman a masterpiece. It is an absolutely fantastic film and the more I think about it the more I love this film. I find myself uncomfortable labeling films "masterpieces" without having viewed them multiple times for a better critique, but when I walked out of Birdman I felt fufilled in my expectations and beyond. It was an invigorating experience. This film has dethroned The Grand Budapest Hotel as my favorite movie of the past while and should definitely win some Oscars at the Academy Awards. However, it may not be for everyone as some moments have a little too much ambiguity for some, and the whole concept and the way it is metaphorically executed may fly over many people's heads, I know I didn't pick up on everything from the first viewing (then again, who does).
The plot centers around a washed-up actor, played brilliantly by the coincidentally-casted Michael Keaton in the best performance I have seen this year and the best performance I have seen from him ever (then again, I have not seen him in many movies), who is trying to revive his career by directing, starring, and writing a broadway production. The film mostly takes place around the theater, and in doing so conveys much of a sense as seeing a broadway production. This was my favorite element of the direction, as it is reflected in everything from the acting to the cinematography to even the music. I like theater, so that most definitely contributed to my enjoyment of this film. The cinematography was particularly amazing (if this does not win the Academy Award I will be blown away), as the whole film is shot in what seems to be one continuous take, as plays are also done in one take so to speak. That continuous take is very reminiscent of the shot at the beginning of last year's Gravity, which coincidentally, was the same cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki. It is so well choreographed that the camera becomes a bystander and lets the show go on seamlessly. There is one shot where Emma Stone's character is yelling at Michael Keaton's character (shown in the video below) and as she finishes yelling, the camera looms on her face, and we see her realize how mean the things she just said are. The acting is a bit over the top, specifically Edward Norton's performance, but this is again highlights the fact that stage acting is indeed a bit over the top, as well as the people being quite the characters. The score is mostly that of an individual drummer jamming out as if he is warming up before the show begins, and sometimes the camera even pans over the actual drummer, a detail I found splendidly eccentric. So technically, I would be fine giving Birdman a 10/10.
When in comes to the actual plot Birdman does not disappoint in delivering a deep, enriched story, with commentary on egotism and ignorance in human nature and the ever-changing status of celebrity and the struggle for "relevance", among smaller points about the nature of show business. I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible, but the story succeeds with almost everything it sets out to do. Especially of note are the surrealist sequences, which must be first explained. The main character, Riggan Thompson, used to be a celebrity famous for playing the superhero Birdman, who visits him from time to time as his alter-ego, and Riggan seems to have superpowers, mainly when he is alone. Whether or not he has powers is up for debate, but I have to side with the argument that he does not for reasons I will not explain. The sequence where he displays his questionable superpowers all-out is enlightening for the character and great commentary for the audience on the very nature of typical audiences. Something great it does along the way is allow for Riggin's thoughts to be read aloud without being blunt through the use of the play scenes. Another point of ambiguity is the ending, which may cause dismay for some viewers, but I found it particularly excellent, in part because every person will think of it in a different way. This is after all, an art film. The characters are excellent, not a single character felt especially one-dimensional which is a success as there are a plethora of characters with relatively small roles. So on a creative level, Birdman is near-perfect.
In short, Birdman is a must-see for all cinephiles and the best movie I've see all year (so far) and brought a world of respect to Michael Keaton. Whether or not the film is a masterpiece will be debated in the years to come. I now need to see Inarritu's other films because this one is just so frickin' great. Birdman gets a
9.5/10 Tony Awards
94% on Rotten Tomatoes,
and an 89 on Metacritic,
indicating critical acclaim.
