Review of Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) by Arthur_S_Poe — 11 Feb 2015

I must admit that my first 'meeting' with Iñárritu turned out to be quite a fascinating experience. The concept of the movie is absolutely fantastic and it is certainly a film about art and artists, a classical literal theme transferred to the screen with such masterful skill that you can't help but admire the art.

It is a brilliantly devised black comedy, full of sardonic humor but also a very specific viewpoint that allows the viewer to look into the mind of an artist, in this case both the actor and the director, as the border between the movie and reality, between what is actually the plot of the movie and what is the artistic idea of Iñárritu, is very fluid, sometimes even non-existent. Iñárritu actually utilizes a theatrical method, a characteristic of modern theatre, thereby destroying the classical border between several aspects - the film itself, the viewers, the director, the plot and the idea. It is a metaesthetical analysis of the visual arts and Iñárritu realized it masterfully.

The acting is also a very strong aspect of the movie. All of the actors fulfill their roles brilliantly, but you cannot escape from the magical interpretations of Edward Norton and Michael Keaton. Norton, one of my favourite actors, is absolutely amazing, is a cynic and a bohemian, a master of the theatre enjoying the praise of a master actor, of a true artist positioned above the more popular yet artistically weaker Michael Keaton, whose Riggan Thomson is trying to revitalize his career and find true artistic meaning through the theatre, an institution so familiar to Norton's brilliant Mike Shiner. It is an absolute shame that Norton found himself alongside the brilliant J.K. Simmons this year (a sure victor at the Oscars), because he undoubtedly delivered an Oscar-winning performance. The same goes for Michael Keaton, who, in addition to that, certainly delivered the role of his career. His Golden Globe-winning performance is an absolute hit, in every way adapted to the idea Iñárritu envisioned with this film and certainly an internal battle for Keaton himself, who had to wait up until now to deliver such a dramatically and artistically strong role. Riggan Thomson is a psychologically polarized actor, an ex-star realized through shallow superhero roles, looking to prove to the world and to himself that he is wroth something, that he is actually an actor. His internal struggle, his obsession and his self-devouring psyche - all of them brilliantly portrayed by the excellent Keaton who managed to give us a look into a very specific mental construction (I thought to myself - now I finally know what went through Heath Ledger's mind before his tragic death).

Iñárritu has also presented us with a very specific aesthetic in 'Birdman', a very gentle approach to the technical and visual realization of the film combined with a series of surreal elements that wonderfully add up to the concept itself, thereby creating a magnificent blend only a few selected directors can create.

To conclude, 'Birdman' is truly a wonderful movie with a very specific set of exceptional strengths that are masterfully combined with a strong crew and a powerful idea. It is a surrealist retelling of a psychological process often foreign to the common viewer, but nonetheless amazing and wonderful.