Is BIRDMAN The Greatest Movie Of The 21st Century?
Iñárritu’s film isn’t a comedy or a drama – it’s a reality piece fused with fantasy. The director doesn’t pull any punches on what is wrong with Hollywood today. The whole piece is a criticism of the plethora of superhero movies being churned out by studios on an almost monthly basis. When Thomson wants a new actor for the play, he’s told that his first choices (Marvel movie stars Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Fassbender) are too busy making superhero sequels. The irony is that Thomson’s superhero past still haunts him, even though it’s been decades since he played the character. Birdman (much like Keaton’s own Batman) existed in a time before comic book adaptations littered the multiplexes and the actor originally left the role to avoid being typecast in a time when superhero sequels were seen as unnecessary, rather than the cornerstone of the movie industry that they are today. Actors like Downey Jr. and Fassbender aren’t hindered by their superhero roles but are embraced for them. We live in a time where nearly every actor has a large franchise to fall back on when the box office gets rough.
Like Keaton, Edward Norton plays on his persona as the difficult actor striving for perfection. Norton’s star never shone as bright as his talent due to his reputation for fighting with studios and filmmakers and this is tackled head-on in Birdman (‘was he fired or did he quit?’). Again, like Keaton, Norton dabbled in the superhero realm with The Hulk, dropping the character (or was fired) after just one movie. Norton’s Mike Shiner knows that there’s a younger generation out there ready to replace him (‘What are you going to do, replace me with Ryan Gosling?’), again illustrating that youth and fame are fleeting.
Antonio Sánchez’s jazzed infused score adds an energy. Birdman is cinematic jazz and Sánchez’s score is the erratic heartbeat keeping it alive. It’s as unconventional as the film it accompanies, but the eccentric percussion mirrors Riggan Thomson’s frame of mind – he’s on edge, jittery and intense. Editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione tackle the film in an unconventional way and Birdman flows as if it’s in one continuous take. This seems like an odd choice as the film takes place over several days, but illustrates the constant pressure that Keaton’s character is under; a stream of consciousness as fantasy and reality converge.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a deeply rich film that challenges audience expectations and genre conventions. It’s a drama, a comedy and a tragedy that tackles concepts like art, creativity, belief and fear. Above all, however, it’s about wanting to be loved – but what do we talk about when we talk about love?
