NYFF 52 REVIEW: BIRDMAN

REVIEWED BY MATEO MORENO

When you see the word, “A film by Alejandro González Iñárritu,” you know you’re always in for a unique experience. Through films like Amores Perros, Babel, 21 Grams, & Biutiful, Alejandro has taken us on incredible journeys each in their own unique and powerful ways. Apologies to fans of Amores Perros (which includes myself) but I believe his masterpiece has now come. Exhilarating, pulse pounding, hilarious, and uniquely original, BIRDMAN OR THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE is most likely going to top my list of best films of the year. I highly doubt I’ll be the only one.

Michael Keaton stars as Riggan Thompson, a somewhat has been actor who walked away from an incredibly lucrative superhero franchise called “Birdman.” He now wants to be taken as a series actor and has written a theatrical adaptation of Raymond Carver’s short story What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, casting himself in it and directing it as well. He has a Broadway stage to do it in. He has his good friend Jake (Zach Galifianakis), producing it with him and his girlfriend Laura (Andrea Riseborough) is starring in it alongside him. Almost immediately, things start going from bad to worse. His costar is immediately hit by a falling light and has to be replaced immediately. His other costar Lesley (Naomi Watts) suggests her boyfriend Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), a famous Method Actor. He comes aboard and to say he immediately rocks it might be an understatement. To make matters even more stressful, his daughter, an recovering drug addict (Emma Stone) is a production assistant and isn’t too keen on making great father/daughter time. Now this may seem like a lot, but he’s also haunted with the voice of “Birdman” and seems to be able to move things with his mind. Is it all in his mind? Is it real? What is real exactly in this highly meta, breaking the fourth wall film? That’s one of many questions (some answered, some not) that Birdman brings to this beautifully creative table.

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki have crafted a genuine unique, wholly original film that is set up to seem like the film is all one long 2 hour shot. As the camera follows Riggan and his crew of misfits, we pan through the St. James Theatre, below the theatre, to the rooftop, the street outside, all in one long continuous take. Of course there are cuts, but not many of them, and often takes are 10 minutes long as the camera swirls around them. The direction is crisp and precise, and the camera work is pure genius. Bring the man who left behind a superhero to stretch is acting muscles is a man who…well, left behind a superhero to stretch his acting muscles (in his case, Tim Burton’s Batman). Michael Keaton mesmerizes through the film, transfixing you through each take. He’s wounded and battered, pathetic and driven, lost but searching. It’s a glorious performance that is certainly putting him back on the map. Spewing with real human emotion, Keaton is a revelation. Edward Norton also goes meta playing a brilliant method actor when he himself has been called a brilliant sometimes method actor. He’s charming and conniving, all within the same breath. It’s like being shot with adrenaline each time he enters the screen. Emma Stone also impresses with her wounded and guarded turn as Riggan’s daughter. Also showcasing amazing moments is Andrew Risenborough, who shows the cracks in her armor each time Riggan hurts her slowly but powerfully. Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis’s performances soar as well. And the nontraditional soundtrack of drumming by Antonio Sanchez is a welcome weave of originality.

You don’t need to be an actor or an “insider” to appreciate everything that Birdman has to offer. It is truly a remarkable film, unlike anything you’ll experience this year and probably next. A mark of men at the top of their game, it is Alejandro González Iñárritu and Emmanuel Lubezki golden goose. It is Keaton’s ticket back in. It’s the love letter from everyone involved screaming and reaching for originality and giving it to us. Close your eyes, sit back, and let Birdman soar over you.

VERDICT: A MUST SEE

Written by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinerlaris, Armando Bo.

 Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu Cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki Starring Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis. CONTENT ADVISORY: Adult Language, Adult Situations

FINAL THOUGHTS: A breathtaking original film that succeeds on each and every level. Hallelujah, here Birdman comes.

MATEO MORENO is an actor, playwright, and director in New York City. He owns and runs TheArtsWireWeekly.com and has had four of his plays produced, including BOHEMIAN VALENTINE, HAPPILY AFTER TONIGHT, WITHIN OUR WALLS, & LOVES ME LIKE A ROCK.