Once Birdman starts it doesn’t stop until the film runs out and even then its energy seems to bleed into your veins as you exit the theater. It’s a story of actors and the stage, artists and their critics. It’s about the desire to be somebody as much as it’s the fear of being a nobody. It tells of a world where artists are no longer recognized for their talent, but instead for the larger-than-life characters (literal and figurative) they play. Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is one such artist.
Years ago, Riggan played Birdman in a trilogy of big budget, billion dollar blockbusters. The franchise was a massive hit and he turned down a lot of money for Birdman 4. Now he finds himself at his wits end, quite literally haunted by the character that made him famous while at the same time attempting to become the actor he’s always dreamed of being. Riggan has written, is starring in and directing a stage adaptation of a Raymond Carver short story. He sees it as his last chance to be seen as the actor he wants to be remembered as, not as a character in a film filled with explosions and rubber suits.
Birdman speaks to arrogance, ego and must importantly, ignorance, something the film’s full title — Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) — gets to. Riggan can’t seem to find himself in a world he doesn’t understand and Keaton, plays this character on the knife’s edge. Antonio Sanchez‘s jazzy, drum-filled score fills each scene with excitement as it attempts to keep up with Keaton’s anxious performance and director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu‘s vision as he’s pushed cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki to his visual limits.
The film is technical marvel, utilizing every corner of the theater audibly and enchanting the eye visually. The action doesn’t “cut” until the final moments as the camera moves in and out of doors and through time as if the entire feature was captured in a single take. Only exterior shots transitioning from day to night offer any kind of time-keeping, otherwise a single space could feature multiple scenes all in the time it takes to turn the camera 360-degrees, filled with excellent performances with every turn.
Keaton, as I’ve alluded to, is wonderful, playing a character that could very easily be seen as an extension of himself, having turned down the opportunity to star as Batman for a third time in Batman Forever and seemingly disappearing from starring roles after doing so. Well, if you consider Keaton having “disappeared”, don’t worry, he’s back with a twitchy, nervous performance that, after the opening seconds, can’t seem to stop moving. He embodies Riggan’s anxious behavior, though unable and unwilling to accept fame as he’s achieved it. It’s a nearly impossible character to unpack, especially from the outside looking in. Haunting Riggan is the question to ask at what cost will we seek to fulfill our desire to be loved? Will you sell out or maintain your artistic integrity? What is that integrity worth? Is it not enough to be loved no matter the reasons or is it important to be loved for what you perceive to be the right reasons?
Every character beyond Riggan adds a new layer to these questions. Emma Stone is a live wire as Sam, Riggan’s spiteful daughter and assistant. Naomi Watts plays insecure actress Lesley, a first-time stage actor in a touch-and-go relationship with top dog Broadway performer Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) who fills in for an actor injured on set, sending ticket sales sky-rocketing. Zach Galifianakis plays Jake, Riggan’s lawyer and friend and Andrea Riseborough plays Laura, co-star in Riggan’s new show and his pregnant, younger girlfriend.
There are hardly any revelations in this cast unless you consider Galifianakis playing something other than a grown baby, and performing quite well, to be a surprise, but it’s in Stone and Norton that we find the most to unpack. Norton, as Mike, is playing a character most would consider to be a pretentious ass hole of an actor. He says things like “The stage is the only place I can be myself” and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks, but this is more of a theme than a character trait, all of which comes back to Riggan’s self-loathing and fragile ego.
As Riggan’s daughter, Sam is a stereotypical youngster, with a history of acting out in a search for attention from her absent father and Stone absolutely nails the performance. Sam’s demons aside, she’s able to see the world through different eyes and her character affects not only Riggan, but Mike, all of which adds multiple layers to a film that could just as easily collapse in on itself, but consistently turns right when you think it may turn left, opening new doors and ideas.
Running just shy of two hours, Birdman moves at such a pace I would have guessed it ran only 90 minutes and at most 105. It’s a film that’s truly alive, bristling with anxiety, irony, satire and dark humor. You won’t necessarily be rolling in the aisles, but you’ll be laughing consistently throughout. It’s a film that asks the question of relevance, what is and what isn’t? Does success and relevance matter if you’re unhappy and can’t take pride in what you’ve achieved?
Reactions to Birdman will be fascinating to watch as they begin bubbling to the surface. I expect to see passion on both sides of the line, those that love it most likely in the majority, though there will be those that hate it. What will be interesting is to explore the reasoning. As the film’s title says, ignorance is a virtue, but it’s a virtue none of us will ever know we possess, or, at least, won’t be willing to claim.
