As I happen to live in a place where superhero movies aren't terribly popular (a.k.a. South Korea), it's a huge shame that Birdman didn't get many views in theaters. But wait, Birdman isn't a superhero movie! Sadly that's what many people here thought. And those who did watch it sat down on their seats expecting another Ironman or Batman. What they got was two hours of complex, meaningful scenes (should I say one scene?) that explores deep, unknown parts of the film industry and the psychology of celebrities. But before we go into that, let me introduce the movie.
Birdman, or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, follows the happenings of Riggan Thompson, a once-popular actor of the Birdman series who is now much forgotten. Riggan tries to gain back his popularity and acclaim through a Broadway play, which he himself directed, wrote, and stars in. However, not everything goes as he wants - in fact, the condition of his play only becomes more disastrous. Through Riggan's struggle to turn his life around, we get a deeper look at his relationships with coworkers, familial issues, and most importantly, his psychological well-being.
Watching the trailer to this movie did not at all prepare me for a movie like this. I thought it would be a somewhat-ordinary movie which has a great cast and an entertaining storyline. And while it is an extremely well-cast and entertaining, it's definitely not ordinary. If we want to talk about the technical things first, the sort of gimmicks that makes the common audience go 'wow', Birdman is made to look like it's taken in one shot. This is a physically difficult task both for the actors and the editors, and it's definitely a brave accomplishment. It's no surprise that it took Best Cinematography. Also, almost the entirety of the soundtrack is just drums. Another notable fact.
The cast was great without a doubt. Michael Keaton plays Riggan, which is an excellent choice. Keaton is similar to his character in that, a few decades ago, he was Batman in Tim Burton's series. Since then Keaton has been sort of forgotten. (To prove this point, even I didn't know who he was until this movie.) Keaton can empathize with Riggan, and he did an excellent job in his role. Edward Norton is Mike Shiner, a huge asshole with amazing acting and artistic skills. Both despicable and likable, Mike is portrayed by Norton with precise, skillful acting. (I start to question whether J.K Simmons deserved the Best Supporting Actor Award.) Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, and others were good too.
To delve deeper into the film- did I mention that Birdman is extremely complex and meaningful? It's difficult to choose where to start explaining this. Let's look at the main character first. Riggan is bombarded with problems - his play ruined beyond repair, relationships with other actors are crumbling apart, and every encounter with his daughter ends up in a fight. In other words, his life is not too hot - and it's starting to affect his mental health. Riggan has a desire to become known and admired again. And in his mind, there are two ways he can go about it. He can revive himself through a distinguished piece of art, which is why he sacrifices so much on his play. On the opposing side is the voice that tells him to achieve fame through the old Birdman movies again. We can assume that the two choices contrast in that the first is 'actual' art made by a 'real' artist, while the second is 'just a franchise' to make money and become a celebrity. When his play starts to fail, the latter voice becomes bigger and bigger and slowly drives him crazy. Throughout the movie, there are numerous scenes where his psychological battle heightens, and we can feel this very intensely.
Other characters also convey depth. We can tell what each character symbolizes, some more clearly that others. Mike is a natural actor - and even beyond that, he is an artist. But since he is so preoccupied with that, it's difficult for him to live in the real world. He easily antagonizes people but doesn't really care - all he cares about is art and its truthfulness. Mike represents the true artists in the film industry who don't get along with others very well and can sometimes be unrealistic about their ambitions. The theater critic in this movie, Tabitha, is a reflection of critics in the real world. Other supporting characters show briefly but accurately their respective symbols - the various types of people in the film and entertainment industry.
Not only is Birdman an enlightening view on the world of cinema, but it's also an honest portrayal of relationships between people. Preoccupied father and juvenile delinquent daughter - this relationship is seen through Riggan and Sam just a few times, but its so real. At a certain point, Sam shouts an essay of hurtful words at Riggan but none of it seems exaggerated. It feels like an truthful outburst that she has been keeping inside her for a long time. Divorced man and woman; neglectful husband and jealous wife; coworkers that don't get along because they have differing views - these are all shown accurately in this movie.
I want to emphasize again that this is extremely intricate and enlightening, but due to that, confusing. It's definitely not something for the common movie-goer. So be prepared.
9.5/10 - The reason it's not a ten is that it can sometimes feel long. The one-take style can make the movie seem even longer for those who don't really like artistic films.
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