A Mesmerizing Experience Not To Be Missed by Ardent Movie Lovers

Rating: 9/10 (5 February 2015)

While innovative director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has given us many brilliant films before, this is the first time he's delved into the genre of comedy, that too black comedy. His ambitious attempt to make the movie appear to be shot in one seamless motion for most of it (with the help of numerous retakes and proper edits) certainly works to the movie's advantage; it makes us a part of the lead protagonist's (Thomas Riggan's) inescapable reality, much like life. But more importantly, it takes us into the mind of the director himself.
In a bird's eye view, the film may appear to be a critique on the ever-growing trend of superhero movies, and the politics of show business in general. But essentially, it's a satire on human traits like ego and ambition, our constant search and struggle to feel relevant and important in this world; many of us forsake everything else in order to achieve this. We can see this through Riggan's character, who is conflicted between the once-achieved stardom through his Birdman movies and his present, where he is adapting the work of an author (Carver) because of whom he became an actor in the first place. Birdman vs Carver - On one side, we have Birdman, which gained him the love and affection of audiences worldwide, and on the other side, we have Raymond Carver, which represents the kind of intellectual work which usually gets critical acclaim. So, he is stuck between the two, internally struggling to decide which one to choose; he ambitiously wants the love of both audiences and critics alike.
Other than being a black comedy, the movie also falls into the genre of Magical Realism (movies like 'Pan's Labyrinth', 'Life of Pi', 'Midnight in Paris'). Riggan keeps hearing this voice speaking to him, and can perform telekinesis and levitation whenever he wants. This Birdman is just the personification of his inner ego and the larger-than-life image he once had; Riggan wants to soar through the sky. And ego's personification here (Birdman) draws parallels to Icarus (who flew too close to the sun with wings made of feathers and wax).
Other than the amazing screenplay, the dialogues are the film's biggest strength; they are sharp-witted and hilarious, and form the backbone of the film. After that, it's brilliant performances given by Michael Keaton and Edward Norton; they are pure delight to watch. Zach Galifianakis also does a good job, and the four ladies (Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough and Amy Ryan) look and perform terrific. Emmanuel Lubezki's camera-work and Antonio Sanchez's drum score certainly help the movie feel like it does. Without Lubezki's assistance, the apparent single shot feat couldn't have been achieved; the movie looks spectacular.
It's interesting to notice how many of the actors have association with superhero movies; Keaton was Tim Burton's Batman (this is what makes his character self-referential), Norton was the Incredible Hulk, and Stone was Gwen Stacy in the contemporary Spiderman series. On top of that, we see that Riggan's character has many similarities with the character Ed he's playing in the stage play within the movie. And the few aspects of Ed's life which aren't there in Riggan's life become fulfilled towards the second half of the movie. All these parallels help in blurring the lines between fiction and reality, which makes the movies quite psychotic, and at the same time, fascinating.
Overall, the movie tackles with so many captivating themes that a simple review like mine is not enough to discuss all of them. All I can say is, for people who get what the director is going for, the movie is sure to stay etched in their minds for a long time, and forms an important topic for many round-table discussions. 'Birdman' is a mesmerizing experience not to be missed by ardent movie lovers.
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People who might be left confused by ending - We see Riggan get up from his bed and getting onto the window. Then, we see his daughter Sam coming into the room, looking outside the window. She looks up and smiles. The movie ends there.
My interpretation is: No, Riggan didn't jump off the window and try to kill himself again. We don't see him jumping, we just see him standing there. Maybe he was just enjoying the view of the city (world) with his new-found perspective. He's done with the inner struggle, his mind is at peace now, and his act got him the feeling of relevance he craved for, so there's no need to kill himself. When Sam looks out the window, she looks up and smiles; this is when Riggan's metaphoric fantasy meets Sam's physical reality. Sam sees him flying and soaring through the sky. All this time, Riggan was the only one who was in these delusions of fantasy. He had the larger-that-life image 20 years ago, when he was popular with his Birdman movies. Sam was too young at that time. Now with the new-found fame and acclaim all around, Sam finally sees him the way he has always seen himself - as the majestic hero soaring above everyone.