Birdman. A Review.

   As I sit writing this review, Catch Me If You Can plays in the background in which conman pilot impersonator Leonardo DiCaprio is greeted by his father with “my son, the Birdman”. I had to laugh at the coincidence but then I realised there might be a comparison worth making, both DiCaprio and Keaton play men obsessed with how they are perceived, men who risk everything, and to an extent men so caught up in their delusions that they don’t see the damage they are doing to those around them - their heads up in the clouds.

   Birdman is the story of Riggan Thomas, former hollywood superhero star who is trying to resurrect his career by directing and staring in a broadway play. He must navigate difficult costars, a fresh out of rehab daughter, critics, and his own ego if he is to stand any chance of success. 

   Director Alexander Gonzalez Innaritu has drawn passionate performances from his entire cast. It is as though the cast are channelling the limited time they had for the shoot into their character’s desperation, they all seem on edge - giving the film an energy in scenes which might otherwise be routine. Keaton steals the show as Riggan in a performance of two parts, he is vain yet fragile, egotistical yet insecure. Riggan can at times be almost loveable, which Keaton manages through effortless charm, yet he can also be pitiful, threatening, and downright creepy. At the same time as putting together the Russian Doll of neurosis that it Riggan Thompson, Keaton also delivers in guttural tones the cynical and twisted inner monologue of Birdman, a presence that seems like a separate character, whom some pundits have dubbed Riggan’s Lady Macbeth.

   While Keaton stalks the hallways of the film’s theatre setting pretty much punching holes in the scenery, he is surrounded by a more than capable ensemble cast. Emma Stone is an electric screen presence as Riggan’s estranged daughter Sam. Sam is almost as damaged as her Father, yet it manifests in a much more 21st century way - derision and detachment. When Sam does deign to speak to her father she imparts some cutting truths in a scene that steals the film for me, it is not just the tempo and emotion of her tirade against her father’s delusions, but the quiet beats as well - what Emma Stone can bring to the screen with just a pair of downcast eyes is mesmerising.

   The rest of the cast impress without exception. Edward Norton sends himself up as an intense and abrasive method actor, in fact one of my few complaints is that we didn’t get enough of Norton and he seemed to disappear in the last act. Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough both have something of the old Hollywood about them as actresses who are larger than life on the stage yet as delicate as porcelain once the curtain goes down, again it is a shame that such convincing performances are given so little screen time, the downside of having such an incredible cast is that the audience wants more of everyone, it is to Innaritu’s credit that he didn’t let his actor’s screen presence get the better of him, and used his players sparingly. 

   Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki already had a distinguished career and padded out many a film student’s dissertation, his work on Gravity won him an Oscar while the long-shot in Children of Men is a technical masterpiece. It has been much publicised that Birdman was filmed to appear as one single shot, which for the most part is thoroughly engaging. As characters prowl the hallways of the Theatre as though they are appearing in an episode of West Wing where nobody ever stands still, the “invisible cuts” create a creeping sense of claustrophobia. Rather than just being a gimmick, the technique conveys the hustle and bustle of a busy theatre, as well as making Riggan appear like a rat trapped in a maze. It does not always work, there are times when it exhausted me as a viewer (especially when combined with the drumbeat soundtrack), and I spent some time distracted as I was looking for the cuts - perhaps that says more about me than the film however.

   Innaritu’s direction succeeds in crafting a film with a remarkable aesthetic and feel, he also manages to juggle a superb ensemble cast, however he is seemingly less assured when it comes to some of the themes and story beats of Birdman. Where the film fails for me is when it comes closer to resembling a play. While Birdman’s script makes comedic capital from poking fun at how pretentious actors and plays can be, the director seems to have missed the joke. There are visual metaphors galore that seem to be there only to provoke, rather than to demonstrate or clarify the plot. One sequence (featured in the trailer so no spoiler here) in which Riggan imagines a giant mechanical bird attacking the city, it seems like a jab aimed at Transformers-style films that substitute spectacle for story, however it weirdly kills the momentum of the film and looks for all the world like something a studio exec demanded be in the script to sell the film to a wider audience.

   When Birdman works, it soars. An engaging film that will stick with you long after viewing, even if the ending might leave you baffled. Birdman’s subtitle: The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance could also describe elements of Innaritu’s direction, some of his pretentious tendencies masked by the film’s subject matter. However when Birdman keeps its feet on the ground, as a film well constructed and supremely acted, Innaritu has achieved something special.

WHO: Emma Stone. It’s Keaton’s film but she had me hooked.

WHAT: The “invisible cut” cinematography. Unlike anything else you’ll see this year.

WHY: A film that is many things; funny, tragic, arty, intelligent, above all entertaining. 

WHEN: Before Oscar night!