I had the pleasure of experiencing Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) tonite and Im happy to report that its easily one of the best movies of this or any year. This is top 100 of all time type of film. Its that good. I could go watch it again right now. And then watch it again because theres a puzzle to be solved. More on that later... First off, I want to applaud the story and its structure, which was penned by director Alejandro Iñárritu and a few other screenwriters. At its heart, Birdman is a darkly comic look at the lie that is stardom, the insecurities that all artists constantly fight against, the beauty of the controlled chaos that is theatre and the struggle of artists everywhere to mount a production that has meaning not only to them but everybody else. Michael Keaton plays Riggan Thomson, whose mind is unquiet to say the least since it shares residence with a superhero he use to play in the early 90s called Birdman. And yes, the thematic tie to Keatons previous role as Batman is completely intentional and incredibly satisfying, especially when he references current superhero celebs and their massive films. This movie takes us on a journey behind the scenes of Riggans theatrical adaptation of Raymond Carvers short story, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, and doesnt sugarcoat any part of the process. The only difference between this and a normal behind-the-scenes look at a story within a story is that Riggan soon finds that he can control certain physical pieces of his environment. A light crashing on a shitty actors head, a vase crashing against a wall when hes frustrated. Riggan is convinced he can mold his world any way he sees fit, much like a director of a movie would, so whenever the results dont line up with expectations, its frustrating and results in a furious outburst from all parties involved. And now on to the insanely fantastical technical aspects of this film. To call it amazing or ambitious is an understatement. The presentation of this film is nearly indistinguishable from magic. And, most importantly, it completely serves the story. Yes, Birdman is presented in one seamless shot, save a couple shots... and Ill get to at the very end of this review b/c its important to what the story is actually about… but the decision to shoot the film this way was inspired and will definitely elevate it to a cult status it rightly deserves. Iñárritu’s contemporary Alfonso Cuarón pioneered this effective and awesome cinematic one-shot trick in Children of Men and Gravity, and I can definitely feel Cuarón’s influence in the telling of Birdman. Also, big props to cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki for likely figuring it all out for Iñárritu. Ultimately, I think what Iñárritu is saying with this film is that celebrity is a lie, true performance art is found on the stage and that the pursuit of that is a noble goal only achieved if you’re willing to turn yourself over to that process. The stage is where actors bear their souls in real time, not the locations of a movie set. Even Norton admits that the only place he’s actually himself is on stage. Of course I’m not suggesting that great acting doesn’t happen on set, but the stage is an immediate, honest feedback mechanism which may or may not be good for us artists. So… on to the SPOILERS. Seriously, PLEASE don’t read past this if you want to experience the film as is. Basically, don’t come even close to ruining the experience. Just shut that laptop, scroll up on that phone or just unfriend me. Do yourself that favor. Because this film is that good. Be cool that way. Alright, ready? Let’s go. I could be wrong, but I think the very first shot of the film was a flash frame of Riggan on a beach surrounded by jellyfish. That’s followed closely by a shooting star, etc., which is what most focus on. I think Iñárritu is attempting to Potemkin us with that first shot. We won’t notice that first shot really, which is exactly the same as one of the last lingering shots that shows jellyfish dying on a beach along with a mass that can only be Riggan. Especially after he admits to his wife what his aim was after cheating on her during a wedding anniversary. Listen, we’re all shooting stars. We burn bright and then fade out. In any circle we’re in. But what we do with that time is important and what art we present to our contemporaries. Still, the idea that we have bookend images for the film, and that we linger on an image of jellyfish that are washed up on a beach and dead, along with a big hump that may or may not be Riggan after he’s battled this jellyfish is VERY important. And the jellyfish story is the only time that Riggan has admitted to his ex-wife that he attempted suicide. So this is what I think. Riggan had his anniversary and acted horribly and his wife called him out on it. He drove to Malibu and tried to drown himself. When he waded into the ocean, the jellyfish were there and stung him, and he got shocked and drowned. And died. And now he’s in purgatory. Mounting this play is an extension of his ego and talents and insecurities. And he needs to work through it all. That gives rise to egoism and shitty actor behavior, but there’s still a show every single day that validates him. But once he knows that there will be a force that doesn’t validate his actions, (the NYTIMES critic), he takes matters into his own hands and shoots himself. And I do think he shot himself. Through the head. But the “story” was that he shot off his nose. And his “new” nose shows no signs of stitches. It’s just bruised. And so Riggan flies off into the sunset… towards the sky… as a representation of his soul escaping. Personally, I think I think this ending makes a lot of sense and I’m really glad I saw it sooner rather than later. This is one you definitely want to see on the big screen. My last argument... we find Riggan floating in the air at the very start of the story. No chair. Just floating. Which should inform that he can manipulate the things around him, but hes genuinely surprised when he actually drops the light on a shitty actors head... and is then able to manipulate small objects. I think this means that hes already on his way to the hereafter, but he just needs to work his way through this purgatory to get there. In any event, if you dont see Birdman in a movie theatre, you are missing out.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 06:04:38 +0000
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