Enthralling, entertaining, and likely enduring

Rating: 9/10 (5 March 2015)

Birdman is the story of what a man will do to be noticed again, and of all the people around him that are making that happen.
I don't know if this deserves to win best picture of the year or not, I haven't seen all the nominated films. I would say this is one of the best pictures I have seen this year. It manages to be depressing or uplifting depending on what's happening, so it's a bit of a ride. That is a strength. While I did not always like the characters, I always felt invested in them regardless. They all have their moments.
Edward Norton is in my opinion the best actor or actress in this film. His character is not per se a "good person" by any means, in fact he is capable of being a rather bad one. But his character was the realest to me, and I would blame it on Edward Norton's powerful performance.
That said, all the acting is fantastic. It seems like they all pushed themselves or perhaps it is because of the director. This film may not be for everyone, I would label it artsy, and it reminded me of Black Swan. Not because it is super tense, but because sometimes the story and the style are similar. Emma Stone was very believable and charming as the daughter of the protagonist and it was interesting to see Zach Galafanakis take on a more serious role. Naomi Watts put in a very emotionally charged performance and felt very sympathetic towards her character.
I think the play withing the movie did not actually seem particularly good, but that is perhaps intentional because the qualification of the main character's ability to make real "art" is held in contention as part of the story.
Anyway, worth seeing if you are okay with something different, and if you are, you may really love this one.