The Perfect Metaphor

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2015)

Long shots, with little to no editing during scenes - the perfect way to relate the art of film to the art of theatre which it depicts, where crew and cast get one chance as they are live, Birdman captures its scenes continuously, amazing us at how a whole crew and cast have achieved such perfect sequences. Then somehow special effects are thrown into the mix, and we're left wondering "how?". I had to watch again just to admire the film production techniques, as appreciating both these and the story presented seemed too much to handle in one viewing.
Birdman is also clever in its combination of imagination and reality, showing us the action and what must be a daydream of sort, with no separation so we don't know where to draw the line. All we know is that this is how Riggan (Michael Keaton) sees it, and that is the only perspective we need, allowing us Riggan's internal point of view in a way normally exclusive to novels. On my second viewing, I found myself questioning even more, what "actually happened" in the film.
Birdman tells us the story of Riggan, an actor who formerly played a superhero, trying to adapt, direct and star in a play, in a career revival attempt. During this story, we are invited back stage where Riggan has to manage his business and personal lives, involving a challenging co star, daughter, ex partner, and lawyer, all of whom have demands he must cater to for his show to happen. Everyone has their moment, and all the characters stand out as some point, with Riggan's central story sometimes retreating and serving as a vessel for theirs to happen around his. Expectations are not met, and some moments of this film will cause complete disbelief, as each character reaches an extreme in their arc.
Unique in its subject matter, production techniques, it is rare for a film to be so different from everything else and still be this good. Nothing I, or anyone can write, will do the film justice, You have to watch it, must watch film.