Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

It’s been a while since a movie impressed me in such a manner that I am still thinking of it after being with two others in the meantime. I feel like a promiscuous man. Still thinking of the one that impressed me while being with another. But that’s what happens when a film forces itself to be noticed.

Bridman tell the story of Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) who is trying to make the jump from screen to stage by starring in a play written, directed and produced by him. Things quickly go south when one of the actors is suddenly harmed to such an extent that he is unable to perform in the first preview before opening night – good riddance! Riggan is able to land Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), an actor fired seconds before he pitched at Riggan’s theatre. You see, mike is one of those actors who are notoriously egoistic but fantastically talented making him one of the best on Broadway.

While Riggan in struggling to perfect his production, he needs to attend to his daughter, Sam (Emma Stone), who appears to be a foul mouth druggie and the stage hand who gets payment in the form of rehab. His ex-wife is on his case and now Mr. ‘Big Shot’ Mike Shiner is telling him how to direct his brainchild. No wonder Riggan is hearing voices! Oh, by the way, Riggan hears voices. The voice of doubt, telling him that he is not good enough for the stage. That he was a massive superhero movie star who could have still been part of the Hollywood A-list, had he not walked away from an offer to do Birdman 4.

I’m trying not to give away too much, but once you’ve seen it, you’ll understand why I can’t stop rambling about its magnificence.  Every bit of this film works together in perfect harmony complementing each other to make every part of it vivid. The flow of the cinematography enhances the never ending life of New York City, not allowing anyone to stop and smell the roses, because really? Do you need to smell them NOW?

The soundtrack is undeniably present in every scene and uniquely incorporated in the dialog as well as the framing of each shot. The set design compliments the disquietude ever present in Riggan and the grand finale: well, let’s just leave that open for interpretation.

It is understandable that Birdman pocketed 9 Oscar Nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor (Michael Keaton), Best Supporting Actress (Emma Stone) and Best Supporting Actor (Edwin Norton) and I sincerely hope to correctly predict that this masterpiece will walk away with at least 3 of these Golden Boys!

Not often, a film’s cinematography, editing & soundtrack flow together in such harmony as in #Birdman.