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#41 - Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2014
Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is a washed-up actor that's best known for playing the titular superhero but he intends to turn things around by mounting a stage adaptation of a Raymond Carver story. Naturally, the production is complicated by unruly actors, unfortunate malfunctions and, oh yeah, the voice inside his head and his growing telekinetic powers.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the best Darren Aronofsky film ever made.
But seriously, Birdman is a stupefyingly good piece of work. Even leaving aside the amazing cinematography and editing on offer (and the near-seamless brilliance of the continuous takes should definitely be enough of a draw on its own), what you're left with is an impressively dark comedy about fame, integrity and, of course, what we talk about when we talk about love. Keaton is the powerful heart of an ensemble drama, playing Riggan with gusto as he deals with a problem a minute - there's the usual "troubled production" tropes at work, plus his damaged relationships with his loved ones and the unnervingly schizophrenic interactions he has with his foul-mouthed alter ego, a personification of his career-making superhero performance. Even the revelation that Riggan has psychic powers feels strangely organic within the context of this otherwise hyper-realistic film. It's a truly powerhouse performance that is peppered with stand-out moments that would definitely come across as spoilers (such as his story about his abusive father, for instance).
Despite Keaton obviously dominating the film, there's a strong ensemble at work behind him. Edward Norton almost steals the show as a talented yet irksome actor whose insistence on being true to his craft results in moments that are either touching or unsettling (or sometimes both). Emma Stone, playing Riggan's daughter/assistant, gets the most impressive role I've seen her perform yet, even getting one amazingly passionate and uninterrupted monologue in at one point. Her chemistry with Norton is also surprisingly strong, which is a shame considering that
Other actors get their moments that, while they don't have that much significance to Riggan's arc, are still impressive. Despite Iñárritu's reputation for juggling multiple characters and narratives, the arcs for the supporting cast here either play into Riggan's main arc or they just fizzle out anticlimatically. It's a minor flaw in the context of the film as a whole, but consideringly how well-executed the rest of the film is, this minor flaw does come across as a lot more severe.
For the most part, Birdman is still an engaging cinematic experience. Emmanuel Lubezki once again proves himself a masterful cinematographer, effortlessly capturing the manic goings-on between actors and director. That drum-heavy score also deserves its own mention for being technically proficient and also perfectly suitable to the rest of the film. I don't think it's worthy of Best Picture but it is a very good character study nonetheless.
Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2014
Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is a washed-up actor that's best known for playing the titular superhero but he intends to turn things around by mounting a stage adaptation of a Raymond Carver story. Naturally, the production is complicated by unruly actors, unfortunate malfunctions and, oh yeah, the voice inside his head and his growing telekinetic powers.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the best Darren Aronofsky film ever made.
But seriously, Birdman is a stupefyingly good piece of work. Even leaving aside the amazing cinematography and editing on offer (and the near-seamless brilliance of the continuous takes should definitely be enough of a draw on its own), what you're left with is an impressively dark comedy about fame, integrity and, of course, what we talk about when we talk about love. Keaton is the powerful heart of an ensemble drama, playing Riggan with gusto as he deals with a problem a minute - there's the usual "troubled production" tropes at work, plus his damaged relationships with his loved ones and the unnervingly schizophrenic interactions he has with his foul-mouthed alter ego, a personification of his career-making superhero performance. Even the revelation that Riggan has psychic powers feels strangely organic within the context of this otherwise hyper-realistic film. It's a truly powerhouse performance that is peppered with stand-out moments that would definitely come across as spoilers (such as his story about his abusive father, for instance).
Despite Keaton obviously dominating the film, there's a strong ensemble at work behind him. Edward Norton almost steals the show as a talented yet irksome actor whose insistence on being true to his craft results in moments that are either touching or unsettling (or sometimes both). Emma Stone, playing Riggan's daughter/assistant, gets the most impressive role I've seen her perform yet, even getting one amazingly passionate and uninterrupted monologue in at one point. Her chemistry with Norton is also surprisingly strong, which is a shame considering that
WARNING: "Birdman" spoilers below
the film doesn't really offer much of a resolution for either her character or Norton's or the both of them together - the resolution that we get for her is tied into the film's ending which makes it more about Keaton than Stone so I'm not sure how effective it really is.
Other actors get their moments that, while they don't have that much significance to Riggan's arc, are still impressive. Despite Iñárritu's reputation for juggling multiple characters and narratives, the arcs for the supporting cast here either play into Riggan's main arc or they just fizzle out anticlimatically. It's a minor flaw in the context of the film as a whole, but consideringly how well-executed the rest of the film is, this minor flaw does come across as a lot more severe.
For the most part, Birdman is still an engaging cinematic experience. Emmanuel Lubezki once again proves himself a masterful cinematographer, effortlessly capturing the manic goings-on between actors and director. That drum-heavy score also deserves its own mention for being technically proficient and also perfectly suitable to the rest of the film. I don't think it's worthy of Best Picture but it is a very good character study nonetheless.