Masterpiece storytelling.

Rating: 10/10 (15 July 2019)

Birdman or (the unexpected virtue of ignorance) is directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and follows Riggan Thomson through his somewhat descending career as an actor, all-while losing touch with reality itself. A film of masterful work.
Michael Keaton kills it in this role of a man who is plagued by the shadow of his former superhero role, Birdman. With very little success since the superhero franchise concluded, we see Riggan face the struggle of not feeling relevance anymore as an actor in the industry. This is front and centre within the film. Riggan's need to feel relevant taking a constant toll on him throughout the story is a gripping journey, that is not only thoroughly entertaining, but provides an insight into the psyche of actors and actresses who fail to escape that one role that made them famous.
The story takes time to explore the flawed personalities of not only Riggan Thomson, but supporting characters also, mainly being Emma Stone, Edward Norton and Naomi Watts, who were all the best I've ever seen of them on film. Even Zach Galifianakis was great. Every character was engaging and there was some really great chemistry here, especially between Michael Keaton and Edward Norton.
Though the film mostly remains within the same location for the duration of the story, it never fails to look great in terms of lighting and colour. It's a very pleasing film to watch. It was also filmed and edited in a way to make it seem like it was mostly filmed in one take, which I found refreshing to watch as one continuous journey as opposed to a distinguishable three act structure. Aiding the film was it's very fitting drum score composed of mainly jazz beats, which I found as kind of a 'icing on the cake' detail which really made the film pop out.
The film deals with thought provoking themes like family reconciliation and severe mental health, though despite being a black comedy, the story never has issues cross cutting between its humorous and more serious notes. One of the greatest qualities of Birdman is the idea of a persons subjective reality, which interweaves with Riggan Tomson's mid-life crisis. This results in many scenes that are left open to interpretation of the audience, giving the film an edge that hooked me from the opening scene.
Birdman or (the unexpected virtue of ignorance) develops complex characters in little time, only made greater by a powerful cast, with Michael Keaton leading the show. Difficult themes are tackled yet enjoyable, again thanks to a great cast, writing and directing. Subjective reality is taken to a new level in this masterpiece of a film.