Birdman

I'm not sure how audiences will respond to Birdman.  It's a dark, odd movie about a washed up actor who is trying to reinvent himself by writing, directing and starring in a Broadway play based on Raymond Calver's short story, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.  It's being marketed as a comedy, and yes, there are some big laughs here.  But it's also a very bitter and biting movie.  Not only that, it's notable for having some of the best performances I've seen in any movie so far this year.

The actor at the center of the story is Riggan (Michael Keaton), who was once a box office king for starring in a series of films about a comic book superhero named Birdman.  He decided to quit the franchise after the third film, and focus on being a "serious actor", but a series of costly flops crushed that dream.  Riggan's personal life hasn't been much better lately, with a critical ex-wife (Amy Ryan) and an adult daughter (Emma Stone, fantastic here) who has been floating in and out of different rehabs the past few years.  Riggan's entire career is riding on this play succeeding, and the mounting pressures are starting to take a toll on the guy's sanity and view on the world.  It doesn't help that his co-star in the production is an insufferable Broadway legend (Edward Norton, also fantastic and very funny) who is impossible to work with.

With this simple premise, director Alejandro Gonzalez (Babel) has made a bold film that looks at a man trying to hold everything together as everything around him flies apart.  He achieves this with a stunning filmmaking choice, by hiding almost every single edit and making it look like we are following the main character in one long, uninterrupted take.  Working with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity), this approach is not only fascinating to watch, but it really does let us get inside the jumbled head of its lead character.  This is important, as the movie basically is about Riggan's gradual mental breakdown.  It starts with him hearing the voice of his fictional Birdman counterpart, ridiculing him for leaving success behind, and trying to find a new career.  Eventually, he starts seeing his costumed alter ego following wherever he goes.  Riggan's mental fantasies become more elaborate as the film goes on, and by forcing us to follow his every move and step, we feel like we are trapped in his head along with him.

Birdman (which has been subtitled or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is such a tense film at times that its moments of humor almost seem out of left field.  Yet, there are some big laughs, chief amongst them being Riggan's interactions with his co-star, and a hilarious scene where he finds himself locked outside of the theater during a performance.  But more than the humorous moments, it is the performances that keep us invested.  Keaton, an actor who has been woefully underused for the longest time, reminds us of his range here, as he gets to be quiet and gentle, funny and charismatic, and angry and passionate in various scenes.  Some of his best moments are the ones that he shares with Emma Stone, playing a daughter who holds a lot of resentment toward him, as he often put his film career ahead of her when she was growing up.  Also impressive are the scenes where he has to more or less work against himself, as his former celebrity self appears before him to torment him.  We haven't gotten to see Keaton express this much range in a film in years, and it really does make you realize just how valuable of an actor he can be.

The entire cast is as on top of their game as Keaton is, ranging from Zack Galifiianakis as Riggan's overworked agent, to Naomi Watts as a somewhat insecure actress working in the play.  Everyone up on the screen deserves some kind of special recognition, but when it gets closer to award time, I hope that Keaton, Stone and Norton will not be overlooked.  As for the film itself, I personally loved it, but I can also see how it will not be to everyone's liking.  It is more or less a bizarre salute to art, and how the struggle for art can lead to madness.  There are some fascinating behind the scenes moments surrounding the New York theater world, and it probably added to my enjoyment of the film that I actually happened to be in New York while I was watching it, and sitting in a cinema only a block or two away from the St. James theater, where the film is set. 

Personal viewing situation aside, this truly is a fascinating film - Deeply felt, funny, and often angry, but never so much so that we feel turned off by the film.  Lots of movies have depicted a descent into madness, but few have done it in such a way that we feel like we're there for the entire journey.  This is a strange and original film, and Gonzalez obviously sees this as being deeply personal, especially with how he shows us all the work that goes into the making of any production.  He doesn't just go into the lives of the actors, but also the people going about their business behind the scenes.  He even goes into the world of theatrical critics, which is always a tricky target for any piece of fiction to go after.  For once, it doesn't feel like the filmmaker is taking jabs at or getting back at his or her own personal critics.  It's simply a wonderfully scripted and acted scene where Riggan must confront a particularly vicious, and somewhat truthful, critic about the nature of celebrity itself.

Birdman is a daring film, and one that won't be forgotten by anyone who watches it, regardless of what their final opinion is.  A lot is being made of Keaton's own past screen history, and how he was never quite able to find a huge success after he hung up the Batman cape and cowl in 1992.  I'm more interested in the fact that this is a great performance by an under appreciated actor in a wonderful film.

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