Flying High

Rating: 10/10 (15 November 2014)

This film is highly recommended. (☆☆☆☆)
Remember the film, Black Swan, a surreal and visually stunning film that dealt with a dancer's descent into madness? Well, that beautiful but deadly swan has turned into an ugly duckling of sorts. That film now has been resurrected into another surreal and visually stunning film, only this time, it deals with an actor's descent into madness. The film is Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
Riggan Thomas (Michael Keaton) is that actor. Once a famous celebrity for his role as a comic book hero and now a zero, a mere footnote of cinema history. But he is about to stage a comeback, a play that he has written, directed and will be the featured star. That is, if he can overcome the many professional and personal obstacles when producing a Broadway show, Those hardships include: Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), a high-strung and gifted Actor (with a capital A), his Broadway co-star Leslie (Naomi Watt), Riggan's worrisome friend and producer (Zach Galifianakis), his young girlfriend (Andrea Riseborough), his strung-out daughter Sam (Emma Stone), and his former wife Sylvia (Amy Ryan). As things steadily go wrong (and you know they will), Riggan's world quickly spins out of control.
Much of the film is seen from Riggan's crazed point of view. We watch the madness begin to permeate his life and the absurdities and hardships seem to multiply at a rapid pace. We are taken on a journey of the mind and flow along with the film's rhythms and mood swings. That is, until Birdman's final scene, where the film becomes somewhat arbitrary and confusing. The movie's parting shot makes its ending problematic and contradicts much of what is seen before it. (If only the film could have ended a minute or two earlier, the overall result would have been more satisfying for this moviegoer.) But that being said, what a remarkable film Birdman is! This is still a special one-of-a-kind movie-going experience. It is a film of sheer audacity and bold exciting ideas.
Birdman has been masterfully directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Iñárritu takes his story (which he co-wrote with Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo) and layers his film with many flourishes and unexpected turns. He structures his film and choreographs every move with marked precision. The film is stylishly made without being overdone or obvious. The director stages his film as if it is one continuous tracking shot, given the film an edgy and dreamlike vibe. Reality blend seamlessly with fantasy as one hallucination simply flows into another and what an incredible effect it all is! Kudos to Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrone for their superb editing and Emmanuel Lubezki's magnificent photography which creates the unreal world of its main character so succinctly. The film boasts some award- winning acting too.
Michael Keaton is brilliant as in the title role. Birdman has a bit of the autobiographical by casting this actor, a former Batman himself and reclusive actor. It is a risk that pays off in spades. Keaton balances that perfect mix between the absurd and the real. The actor displays his comic talents most effectively and also shows the tragic side in his portrait of a man on the verge of destruction. This is a comeback breakout performance within a comeback breakdown performance.
Giving Keaton ample support are a wonderful ensemble who deliver memorable comic moments, particularly Norton as his narcissistic foil and Stone as his damaged daughter. Lindsey Duncan also has a pivotal scene between critic and actor that is quite memorable.
All of the artisans behind the camera, the gifted ensemble of actors, and particularly, Iñárritu's expert direction completely energize the film. Expect the unexpected in this dark comedy. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) cannot be easily ignored. This is innovative filmmaking of the highest order. GRADE: A-
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