Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Starring: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone
Directed By: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Reviewed by Brendan Dousi

[Rating: 4/5]

It’s that time again, it happens every year, that two month period that seeks to validate our ‘Best Films’ lists we compiled at the end of December. That’s right, it’s awards season! It doesn’t always happen, but among the usual ‘Oscar Bait’ nominees that consist of inspirational Bio-Pics and whatever Wes Anderson has released in the past year; some smaller, independent films manage to creep in to the running. This year a couple have managed to sneak up as strong contenders but none with more critical force behind it than Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). However, is this critical darling and 9 times Oscar-nominated film all it’s cracked up to be, or has such a strong word of mouth worked to its disadvantage?

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) follows, quite literally, the story of Riggan (Michael Keaton) a washed up ex-superhero star who is desperately trying to rekindle his career and gain critical and commercial respect by producing, directing and starring in his own Broadway play. Not quite all there, seeing as the character of ‘Birdman’ has started manifesting as a guiding inner monologue and Riggan believe he is developing telekinetic powers, he is continually pushed to his limits by drug-addict daughter Sam (Emma Stone), over-eager production partner Jake (Zach Galifianakis), needy co-stars Lesley (Naomi Watts) and Laura (Andrea Riseborough), the unrelenting and merciless critic Tabatha (Lindsay Duncan) and the absolutely insane and even more egotistical actor Mike (Edward Norton). Pushed far beyond the limits of his own insanity, will Riggan be able to prove himself a real artist or is he simply a washed up ex-star with an over-inflated ego?

There is an odd sense of irony here now that Birdman is garnering all of this critical and award-show attention. Keaton, a somewhat washed up ex-superhero star has managed to rekindle his career through an over-ambitious passion project. It’s a little bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy. You’ve got to revel in that at least a little. Still, this film is a very impressive piece of filmmaking. Iñárritu has crafted together a wonderfully paced and engaging film which all appears to be one single take. While it clearly isn’t, you can tell where they easily could have spliced this film together; it is still a technical marvel considering how all of these scenes all play out completely flawlessly with great energy and humour, a true testament to Iñárritu as a director. Extra props should be given to Emmanuel Lubezki who was given the formidable task of being the Director of Photography for this film. The film flows nicely and the one-take style never detracts away from how beautiful the film looks, a truly marvellous job from Lubezki.

Even more impressively, Birdman boasts power-house performances from every single one of its actors. Watts, Stone and Riseborough all give brave and powerful performances here, not afraid to show themselves at their rawest. Norton brings an earnest sense of humour and believability to his role as one of the most egotistical actors you will ever see portrayed, which easily could have fallen into the realm of caricature. Then we have Michael Keaton who gives the performance of his career as a man almost literally wrestling with his own ego (I’m using that word a lot here, and for good reason) and psyche, trying to remain relevant in a world all too eager to dismiss him. These performances mixed with Iñárritu’s inspired direction truly make for a wonderful cinema-going experience.

Still, it’s easy to get the sense that this film thinks it’s saying a lot more than it actually is. It brings up a lot of interesting topics on the nature of film, actors and the ego involved in pursuing these endeavours, but it doesn’t offer nearly as many answers. It almost feels as if the ‘one-shot’ dynamic of the film detracts from giving the film room to breathe and explore these topics. Instead, it’s much more interested in keeping that forward-momentum going. It’s an excellently paced film, that’s for sure, but it still seems to rob itself of some of those necessary, self-reflective moments to truly let what the film is trying to say sink in. For a film that is so centred on exploring the nature of ‘ego’, it seems blissfully unaware of the ego required to make a film like this.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a wonderful, if somewhat over-hyped, film that is energetic, passionate and truly engaging. With fantastic performances from all of its stars, in particular Keaton in a career-defining role, I would definitely recommend checking this film out for yourself to determine if you feel it deserves the awards it will undoubtedly rack-up during next month’s Oscars. Just try and go in with a clear head and not let all the praise sky-rocket your expectations.