Perfection as image and sound.

Rating: 10/10 (10 November 2019)

A dark comedy, a tale of love not to be, an exploration of cinema and theatre, a deconstruction of superheroes and their films and a modern masterpiece of technological filmmaking.
Birdman has been my favourite film ever since I first watched it in 2014, and it hasn't faltered in any way since then.
This is a film that so elegantly dissects theme and intent from the superhero genre, theatre productions, Raymond Carver and his work, modern art and the reason why we struggle and how we strive past it. This is a film that breaks the confines of the screen and shows you what you've been thinking about for a long time.
This is a film that confronts the nature of us and reflects something unsettling and ugly, but still believes in hope, love and colour in life. There is a potency to the thematics at play in the film, a true journey of exploration across so much more than criticising superheroes. The film uses this lens to draw you in, a promise of deconstruction, a promise of catharsis, and what is then given to you is something else, something much more profound and meaningful.
In terms of ecological storytelling, the film utilises its runtime down to a mathematic precision, sifting through ever scene to get the most out of the characters, actors, metaphors and aesthetic. A blindingly triumphant function is at the heart of the film, where so many other films miss their target with connection and intent through poor overall function, Birdman soars above, revealing a collection of images and sounds that stick with you for years, and of which have stayed culturally, subtextually, filmicly and politically relevant. This is a film that understands that it needs to exist, it needs to be talked about, it needs to be addressed.
There is a simple joy to decoding the subtext and metaphor of the film; finding what it means to you and then finding what it means for others. Although surface level, that simple joy is encouraged by the film, by essentially packing every frame with as much relevant meaning and philosophy as it can. This might seem heavy handed to some, but to me, and I think to art, it is working at a level far beyond what you could refer to as 'pretentious,' or 'basic.' To me, this film transcends this kind of bad faith idealism, instead opting to help you experience the rawness of film, the elevated nature of theme and how it can be applied to any time.
Birdman is a film that haunts me, I see it everywhere, it manifests in people, places, art and nature. There is something so very finite about the film, something so very true and real to us. I see it as an absolute achievement of art and the work of human nature, and the best thing about that is that the film already comments on that and suggests how and where we should evolve with next.