Interesting technique, good characters

Rating: Null/10 (9 May 2015)

Birdman garnered a lot of attention for its rarely seen cinematography, its interesting story and for its ensemble cast of actors. And deservedly so, because all those elements are what make the film so enjoyable to watch.
First of all, the cinematography where the whole film is made to look like one, long, continuous shot. At first it's kind of attention-stealing, because you're looking for it, but surprisingly soon you kind of forget it's there and only notice it when the film calls attention to it by, for example, walking through halls to get to other characters. There are also a couple timeskips achieved through seeming fast-tracking, but those are also tasteful enough that it doesn't pull you away from the story. All in all it's a gimmick, but it's an interesting one.
The story and the characters are what make this a good movie. The story is about Riggan, an aging actor, who is mainly known for his role as an early cinema superhero, Birdman. And now he's trying to regain some credibility by producing a play, where he's also the main actor and the writer. What's makes this so brilliant is that they got Michael Keaton, the guy who's mostly known for playing Batman years ago, to play him. If that isn't perfect casting, I don't know what is. And Keaton absolutely owns his role. Nigh perfect acting, not just from him, but also from pretty much all the main actors. Emma Stone and Edward Norton are especially noteworthy for their characters and their own subplot.
All in all Birdman is a love letter to theater and to acting in general. It's a character study that examines the themes of loss, past fame, credibility, love both young and old, endurance, frustration and most importantly doing what you love. Well worth a watch.