Birdman (2014)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Birdman (2014) – A. G. Iñárritu

Magical realism, if you will, and at its most visceral, guided by endless tracking shots down backstage corridors, starring a man who can move and destroy items with only his mind.  That man is Riggan Thomas (Michael Keaton), an aging Hollywood star who struck success with a series of superhero films (he was Birdman).  Now, he is trying to redeem himself by writing and directing a version of a Raymond Carver short story for Broadway – but everything is falling apart, himself included.  That’s the plot, briefly, but it is difficult to convey the force with which director Iñárritu and the cast throw everything at the viewer.  As the camera glides along, so too do various ideas and associations get thrust into your stream of consciousness. Sure, we think about Keaton as an ex-superhero whose career is winding down and Norton as a possibly intense and difficult to work with asshole.  But questions of truth, performance, reality, and fantasy (not to mention problematic psychological breaks) are never far from the forefront.  Shot in a month with incredibly long takes and then edited in two weeks (if I’ve got my facts right), the result is nothing short of amazing.  Keaton impresses as a man just barely holding on (to everything) and Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough, and Zach Galifianakis manage to keep the emotional intensity of the picture at a fever pitch in support.  And just when you thought there was no way to end the picture without copping out, Iñárritu teases the audience with numerous possibilities and manages one that works.  A tour de force.