A theme running throughout 'Birdman' is that humanity is
inconsequential; in terms of the entire universe, we have existed for the blink
of an eye. Our lives don't seem to
matter in the bigger scheme of things, but still we go through our lives
looking for meaning from the approval or adoration of others. So it is with faded Comic-book movie star
Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), trying to restore his career and esteem by
writing, directing and starring in an adaptation of a Novel by Raymond Carver,
'What We Talk About When We Talk About Love'.
As he struggles with this staging this his ambitions are confronted, and
at times thwarted, by the egos, ambitions and expectations of everyone else
involved: each of the other actors, theatre critics, his recovering addict daughter
(played by Emma Stone), his ex-wife, and his producer (played by Zack Galifianakis). All the while, he is haunted by the voice of
his ego, which has taken on the form of his best known character - the titular
Superhero, Birdman; it taunts and goads him, putting down all of his choices,
second guessing him, and continually urging him to return to the one role where
he was truly loved by mass audiences.
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| Riggan Thomson (Keaton) can't escape his ego, or the role from 20 years ago that still haunts him... |
This is a film which is bursting with intelligence and
ideas on so many levels. Aside from the
philosophical element that I've described above, there is a pitch-perfect
satire of the film industry, Hollywood, the Broadway theatre scene, and those
who attempt to make money or their fame from it. The actors are all either bruised egos, one
moment demanding adoration or respect, the next openly admitting their fears
and failings. At the same time the film
acknowledges there is a level of faking, of being about 'surface' that defines
these people - best exemplified by Edward Norton's often pretentious, often
arrogant lead actor Mike, who admits that the only time he is being 'real' is
when he's performing on stage. Yet it
never allows any of the characters to devolve in to stereotypes - and this is
despite many of the casting choices having no small amount of meta-knowingness
about them; obviously, Norton is an actor who has had a reputation for being difficult, and for making (sometimes unwanted) input in to a film's script and/or direction. Then there's Keaton
himself, still probably best known for playing Batman in Tim Burton's two
movies about the character. (Though unlike
his character Riggan, Keaton has had a solid career and been in several acclaimed
roles and movies since then).
Director/Co-writer Alejandro González Iñárritu (best known
for his effective yet depressing dramas such as 'Amores Perros', or 'Babel') also
takes aim at not only the Hollywood Blockbuster machine, but at the audiences
that crave its output; in one scene Riggan bemoans great actors currently tied
in to playing 'capes', whilst later the 'Birdman' tells him to give the
audiences what they want, escapist action-'porn'. A theatre critic (Lindsay Duncan) lambasts
Riggan for being part of an industry that is artless and base. Yet you get the impression that Iñárritu
acknowledges there's nothing wrong with an audience's need to be entertained -
and if, as the film keeps coming back to, there is an underlying pointlessness
about human existence, there's nothing wrong with wanting to escape from that
fact. As well as this, you can sense
that the aspirations of the theatre actors to make 'great art' is ultimately
futile in the face of this fact, too.
If all of this sounds like too much hard work when you're
watching a movie, then you can still admire the great acting performances, and
the technically audacious and impressive direction from Iñárritu. To start with, Keaton's central performance
is particularly impressive - at times it is unselfish, as he allows the actors
around him to portray whatever anger, fear, or upset their character is
expressing. Yet when he needs to, he is
able to dominate the screen as he shows Riggan wrestling with his own anger,
doubts, fears or regrets. The rest of
the cast is universally great, always finding genuine humanity in what could
have been cookie-cutter stereotypes; but for me a pleasant surprise was Galifianakis
- seemingly type-cast as oddballs in other films, here he shows he can be a
good actor when given a role that demands it.
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| Iñárritu knew what he was doing casting Keaton as a firmer Superhero actor, and Norton as a 'difficult' actor... |
Technically this film is fantastic, mostly filmed so that
it plays out as though one continuous shot - although if you watch closely you
can see where the cuts are between each scene, the film flows seamlessly. Shots were filmed with mirrors on full
display, leaving you to marvel at the effects work that kept cameras and crew
out of the reflection, leaving the focus solely on the actors. Furthermore, when the film goes deeper in to
Riggan's imagination for a couple of fantastical and fantastically realised
scenes; if Iñárritu were ever tempted to make the sort of spectacular
blockbuster he satirises here, it would look fantastic and be genuinely
thrilling.
This film may not be for everyone. If you want a straight forward drama you may
find the fantastical sequences an unwelcome distraction. Although it is shot through with a wry,
sometimes off-beat sense of humour, if you prefer straighter and more clearly
defined laughs then you probably won't take to it. Also, the continual jazz drumming that under-pins the score might become repetitive (I play drums though, so I found it weirdly interesting..!). But if you're a fan of movies in general, you
will admire what is a great piece of cinema - philosophical, thought provoking,
technically stunning, visually fantastic, and superbly acted by an excellent
cast. If 'Birdman' sets the standard for
movies in 2015, then the bar has been set very high.
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