Certification. 15
Running Time. 1 hours 59 mins
Director. Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Cast. Lindsay Duncan, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts.
Rating. 60%
Similar to Yorgos Lanthimos' The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, and to a lesser extent Ari Aster's Beau Is Afraid, Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) is a perplexing film. A film of contradictions. A film that was enjoyable to watch, but one that I'm not sure I would say I enjoyed. Is that possible?
On several levels, Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) is an impressive film, technically accomplished with exceptional performances. On the other hand, the film is arrogant, pretentious and elitist, and your enjoyment of Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) may ultimately correlate with your relationship with the theatre.
The film opens with faded film star, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) preparing for his Broadway debut and meditating in his dressing room (three feet off the floor). From this point until 10 minutes from the end of the film, the camera doesn't so much as blink. What the director, along with his Director of Photography, Emmanuel Lubezki and Film Editors, Douglas Arise and Stephen Miring [both of whom were nominated for 2007 Academy Award for Film Editing on Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Babel] have created is nothing short of a technical masterpiece. The camera doesn't just follow the story and characters, it flows. Fluidly, like an organic form. Crafting the film to look like the events take place over the course of only a handful of really long takes certainly requires Alejandro G. Iñárritu and his team to make sure blocking is spot on and pacing is tight. The result enthrals rather than distracts.
Michael Keaton's portrayal of Riggan Thomson is competent, if not spectacular, but it is the supporting cast that are most impressive. In particular, Emma Stone as his semi-estranged daughter, Sam, a cynical, fresh-out-of-rehab drug addict and a deliciously cast Edward Norton, as the supercilious thespian, Mike Shiner. A revered stage actor, but a narcissist and an enigmatic pain in the ass, who routinely challenges Riggan mentally and physically with his own thoughts and ideas.
Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) is an ambitious film, but there is such a clear disjunction in the film. Everyone and everything is split in half; at times, it is almost unbearable to watch. As Riggan battles against the persuasive pull of his alter-ego, it is this thematic dichotomy that fuels the incomprehensible ending of Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance).
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