Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Today as the nominations for this years Academy Awards were announced, much of the buzz surrounded Birdman, the dramatic comedy which focuses on washed-up actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) and his bid to hit the big time again through writing, directing and starring in his own adaptation of a Raymond Carver play. As the film begins, the viewer is instantly thrown into confusion as to why Riggan is levitating, perhaps alluding to real superhuman powers that he may possess, maybe under the mask of the washed-up Birdman hero, there's a real superhero.


After this somewhat confusing opening scene, we see the first glimpse of Riggan's play, in which he becomes infuriated with one of the actors he has employed to work on his play, who is then mysteriously hit on the head and has to pull out the film. After this event, the film becomes to introduce it's fantastic ensemble of actors and actresses, including Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone and the always excellent Edward Norton. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu really nailed the casting for this film, as every actor seems to complement the other, the volatile chemistry between Riggan and Mike (Norton) make for great viewing, leading to several hilarious encounters between them as the film goes on. Despite the little we see of Galifianakis, his simple transition from total goof-ball comedy actor to a serious yet comedic character is very professional and gives a glimpse of his dramatic range. Emma Stone played Riggan's ex-drug-addict daughter, and the complicated relationship between her and her father really helps to enforce the significance of her growing romantic involvement with Norton's character Mike, whose character takes a change for the better as the film grows, from arrogant/ignorant actor to a mature performer who helps Sam (Stone) and Riggan grow with him as the film continues. So it came as no surprise to me that Keaton, Norton and Stone all received Oscar nods for their performances, but despite Keaton having strong competition from Eddie Redmayne for the best leading actor nod, my vote would go his way. Unfortunately it looks as if Norton will be beaten by the excellent J.K Simmons for Whiplash, but that is a fair result.
The one other aspect that makes this film so unique is the way it was shot. Birdman is possibly the best shot film I have ever watched; the way that the film appears as one long take, rather than clear scenes with obvious cuts. The cinematography is perfection, and the way the film appearing to be one long take gives greater focus on the actors, with the background often blurred out as the camera follows the character's movements, especially around the backstage of the theatre. It is great camera work that ultimately, despite stiff competition, should win the Oscar for best cinematography, and it would be a great surprise if it didn't win.

Overall, Birdman is a beautifully made film, the camera work, and without the doubt the constant sound of drumming that almost feels like it is following Riggan around is wonderfully mixed into the film. The acting is fantastic, with Keaton really coming into his own playing a role that he described as "more dissimilar to myself than any character I have played", he captured Riggan's damaged psyche perfectly, and his confrontations with Sam and his Jekyll and Hyde like alter-ego Birdman almost make Keaton himself seem insane. Norton, Stone and Galifianakis all give tremendous supporting performances for one of the best ensembles of the year, close to matching Wes Anderson's 'Grand Budapest Hotel', which of course Norton also starred in. Birdman is a fantastic film and totally deserves it's 9 Academy Award nominations, and it will be interesting to see how many Oscars it actually wins, as it faces stiff competition, but I would rate this film a total 10/10, and would recommend to any to watch this film when they get the chance.