A Satire About Entertainment Today

Rating: 10/10 (31 January 2016)

Birdman tells the story of Riggan Thomson, a washed-up Hollywood actor best known for portraying the superhero Birdman, as he attempts to reignite his career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway play.
The film portrays the struggles Riggan faces in different "realms" of the entertainment world which form an ultimate dilemma. On one hand, Riggan must deal with the fact that he is typecast as Birdman and fears he will only ever be known as Birdman. On the other hand, the Hollywood actor must deal with the world of the theater, a radically different and intimidating world that approaches acting and direction alternatively from Hollywood. Overshadowing these issues is the question, is Riggan doing this for his own acting career, or is he doing this just to be relevant in society again? The writing in this film was fantastic. I was fascinated by the psychology of Riggan Thomson's character; throughout the film, he is tormented by an inner voice that represents his alter ego, Birdman. Birdman serves as a character in itself that helps accentuate the satirical themes of the film. In a world where action films dominate the market and actors achieve fame from starring in said action/superhero films, Riggan tries to rid of his reputation as Birdman while Birdman goads him to embrace it. Riggan aspires to be a great actor, while Birdman aspires to be a famous, loved actor.
Michael Keaton delivers an outstanding performance as Riggan Thomson. He perfectly embodies the inner struggle and split that Riggan deals with in the film. Keaton manages to help convey the complex and mixed emotions that Riggan feels as a washed-up actor in his subtlety; nothing ever seems overacted and blatant. I'm rather upset he didn't win the Academy Award, I believe he deserved it with such a tense and careful performance.
Also worth an honorable mention is Edward Norton as Mike Shiner, the famous yet infamous theater actor who joins Riggan's production. Shiner is the foil to Thomson; he represents the theater world. He is difficult to work with and yet is a fantastic actor (In one scene, he learns his lines almost instantly, which intimidates the Hollywood-based Thomson). Ed Norton's performance brought a sense of intensity and dynamic to the film; his abrasive personality made me feel almost uncomfortable watching him as he acted in some of the more surprising scenes.
This film is perhaps the best direction and camera-work I've seen in a film yet. The entire film (with a few exceptions) is made to feel like one continuous shot. What does this do? It allows the audience to experience Riggan's life and torment as if we were actually following him through the tight corridors backstage and in the wide open spaces of the stage. There are no cuts or jumps, much like our own lives. We never "pause" or "cut" to a scene in our lives, we live it continuously. I was amazed by every take's length and the level of mastery the actors displayed in rehearsing their spots. The film's perspective overall helps the audience experience what show business is like; the audience reaction, the repetition of rehearsed scenes, the feeling of embarrassment when a mistake is made, everything.
At a time where the biggest money-makers in the film industry are superhero/action films, Birdman could not have come out at a more perfect time. Don't get me wrong, I love following the superhero films of our times, but ever notice that Academy Award-worthy films often don't do as well in the box office as, say Star Wars: The Force Awakens? This film points out the truth of the film industry; more people will spend money to watch high-adrenaline action than what critics may consider "art," and so those worthy of recognition may forever go on unnoticed.