Birdman Or The Unexpected Value of Hollywood

Rating: 9/10 (20 March 2015)

When watching Birdman I was literally excited about the film industry itself. What a beautiful business where the child of Art cinema and Hollywood mainstream production teaches us not to be elitist and distinguish between high and low art - Hollywood and Europe (or whatever you'd like to call it).
In one point of the film Riggan talks about criticism as a matter of labels. With Birdman we see, that what we imagine under the concept of European and American cinema are most likely just labels as well. This is a film shot and made in America but it was more successful on European markets. The country of origin does not predestine the nature of a film. And I think the labeling of Hollywood cinema or in other words the package of prejudices we carry when we go to see an American movie was the main reason for the disappointment of so many viewers that made this film so questionable. We are simply expecting something else especially from a story with such a main character and American origin. So maybe when watching a film it is reasonable to put those labels away. Because as Birdman teaches us: "A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing."
A beautiful meta-cinematic achievement. Congratulations, world of film.