'Birdman' is not a masterpiece as cited by many, but it is an instigating, dynamic film, full of references and that makes us reflect in different ways

Rating: 8/10 (15 May 2020)

Anyone who follows the career of Alejandro G. Iñárritu knows that the Mexican director deals with controversial topics, he is one of the few that invests mainly those marginalized and discriminated against by society. That was the case in Amores Brutos (2000), 21 Grams (2003) and Babel (2006). The Mexican director's films have several stories or 'arcs', where different nuclei of characters develop, whether or not they can cross, and this time he follows the same motto, but bringing innovation in the filming mode.
In the past, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) was very successful playing Birdman, a superhero who has become a cultural icon. However, since he refused to star in the fourth film with the character, his career has started to decline. In search of lost fame and also recognition as an actor, he decides to direct, script and star in the adaptation of a consecrated text for Broadway. However, amid rehearsals with the cast of Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), Lesley (Naomi Watts) and Laura (Andrea Riseborough), Riggan must deal with his agent Brandon (Zach Galifianakis) and a strange voice that insists on remaining in your mind.
Undoubtedly, 'Birdman' is the most daring work in Iñárritu's career so far. If in his previous films, most of them were worked on the editing island, true puzzles, the director's ability consists especially in innovating by filming practically everything in sequence, making the camera, sometimes faster, sometimes more calmly follow parallel plots that intertwine all the time, following not only the perspective of the protagonist Riggan Thomson, but also of all the other characters. At the same time, the viewer's gaze is guided by the director to follow the troubled relationship between the dreamy aspiring Brodway actress, Lesley with temperamental actor Mike Shiner and obviously Riggan with his lawyer, agent and best friend Brandon, with his ex-wife. , with the news of a possible pregnancy of one of the actresses in her play, with her daughter Sam (Emma Stone), besides having to deal with the problems behind the scenes of her new play and the fear of criticism, of that work that could be his triumphant return to the spotlight.
The director makes a collage of references in the black humor drama ranging from Godard to Hitchcock and Sokurov. It has discreet influences from The American Night (1973) and The Player (1992). The montage, as in Festim Diabólico (1948) or Arca Russa (2002), engages long sequential shots with cuts at barely noticeable key moments, simulating a film that is totally unassembled. And this showing 99% of the time the tatro and its backstage, making the camera walk through the corridors, make-up rooms, costumes, etc., that is, in a dry space, which makes the question of filming in general more difficult, well in more open planes, sometimes in close-ups and sometimes in counter-plongée - when the camera is below eye level, facing upwards. The audience is not treated here only as external observers of your story, but as a character within the screen. Technically, 'Birdman' is a visual spectacle, but it depends a lot on the fusion of what is seen on the screen and the public's prior knowledge of its main actors, especially Michael Keaton, once the star of the time for having starred in two films of the Batman. This is essential for the operation of the film. Without metalanguage there would be no Birdman.
Michael Keaton plays the role of his career here. The actor decides to play with his persona, building a believable man in a fantastic world. It was not enough for him to prove to everyone that he can still star in a successful production, his personal life is going from bad to worse. Riggan is explored carefully in layers - from the insecure director to the proud actor - bringing in the man who was once Bruce Wayne, three different personalities. The first of these is the man himself, an ordinary person who struggles to make his life work, trying to make his play work while he has to deal with his daughter, Sam (Emma Stone in her best performance so far), who, in turn, , has a certain involvement with drugs. The second stage is in the already mentioned performances within the performances and the genius is in the way this character dialogues with Riggan itself, reflecting, in the play, the life of the actor / director. The third, in turn, appears in the moments of loneliness of the character, Birdman appears as an aggressive manifestation of his self-respect, functioning as a hidden double-personality. Here Iñárritu inserts his touch of master, creating in us the doubt whether Birdman really exists or is it just a tired mind's imagination? Is Riggan really a superhero?
If Keaton is featured, the same can be said of the supporting cast. Edward Norton gains a role to match his talent. Mike is a tough guy, who doesn't care about the opinions of others, and tries to steal the show every time he appears. His scenes with Emma Stone (equally great) and his clashes with Keaton are other memorable parts of the production. Highlight also for the always excellent Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough, who experience disappointments in the personal lives of their characters and end up supporting each other.
Many other aspects are criticized by Iñarritu, who criticizes practically all aspects of the current film industry, such as the massive investment in superhero films, in the pride of the actors - perfectly exemplified by Edward Norton, who plays a cartoon version of himself - and, among many others, in film criticism itself. In the technical part we still have the soundtrack of Antonio Sanchez using only drums, which got more and more accelerated as the action unfolded and became more intensified on the scene. Emmanuel Lubezki's photography is fundamental to materialize Iñárritu's plans, working dynamically, changing the focus of attention on the characters at all times, also showing the dynamism behind the scenes of a theater and the pulsating life behind the curtains.
'Birdman' deals with the protagonist's existential dilemma, about having fame and then losing it, about having to prove yourself with each new job, forcing yourself to reinvent yourself to feel relevant again. It is the eternal search for acceptance, here by the critics and the public. It is also a matter of learning to deal with your ego, especially in the artistic world. Keaton's character, who like the viewer, does not know what is true and what is theater (or cinema). Can he levitate? Can you make objects float? Is dead? These are some of the inventive and unusual actions that the actor will take throughout the story, in this mixture of fantasy and reality that the script proposes. A sensation that sometimes mixes reality and illusion, where the desired is manifested through Birdman's voice and figure, as if he were a ghost chasing his alter ego. They are one, inseparable, and the continuous appearance is nothing more than the voice of conscience questioning their actions, day after day. And, in addition, bringing an objective portrait of that world around him. 'Birdman' is not a masterpiece as cited by many, but it is an instigating, dynamic film, full of references and that makes us reflect in different ways, which is a little scarce in recent years.