D: Alejandro Inarittu
P: Regency
Rated R

When you saddle up for the two hour joyride that is “Birdman,” film fans, you will be greeted with dark comedy hiding behind a philosophical debate of timelessness. “Birdman” is the fifth feature film coming from Mexican director, Alejando Inarittu, the man who brought us “Bable” (2006), and “21 Grams” (2003). He teamed up with a powerhouse of a cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, responsible for “The Tree of Life”(2010) and “Gravity” (2013).
The over-riding moral of the story is the pain of immortality. Even though you are granted eternal life, if you refuse to change with the times, you will be driven to suicide. However, your purgatorius nature constantly steers you back to failure. I like to think this is how Andy’s toys from “Toy Story” would feel in Andy’s mid 30s.
Michael Keaton takes center stage as Riggan Thomson, a washed up actor living on his laurels. Once the main character of a superhero franchise, “Birdman,” the story evolves around him trying to remain relevant and reviving his career as an actor. His efforts result in a Broadway play. The old superhero’s nemesis is Mike Shiner, a hotshot, seat-of-your-pants method actor played by Edward Norton. Norton uses this role to remind us all that he is undoubtedly, a world-class actor capable of giving you emotions you didn’t know you had.
Early in the film, Riggan is dealing with a midlife crisis, complete with delusions and moderate schizophrenia. In our view of Riggan, he has telekinetic powers. These powers are questionable when around others, and is a testament to the care taken in writing the film’s screenplay.
Continuing nuances of an outdated model, Keaton is significantly overshadowed by Edward Norton’s phenomenal performance. Shiner is the ‘apparent’ better actor and his character doesn’t let Riggan forget it. This message is further portrayed by the angsty teenage daughter of Riggan, Sam(Emma Stone). She, like many of the new age, measures prestige in Twitter followers and video hits. A very gripping monologue from Stone marks the crux of life in a ever ethereal world of fame. Unable to adapt, Thomson, starts taking advice from his imaginary alter ego, Birdman, while running around the city to a simplistic, but chaotic drum line score that runs through the movie and, phenomenally, weaves in and out of the fourth wall written by Antonio Sanchez.
In the second half of the film, Birdman leads Riggan to an imagined suicide, where then he realizes that he needs to stop trying and just be the act that he needs to be. This leads to a cathartic conversation with a film critic that puts the art into opulent asceticism, and a scantily clad internet video that gets 300k hits in 24 hours. Riggan has emerged from the chrysalis he has been ignoring.
From this point, Keaton delivers a performance so real and emotionally transparent that it is very easy to forget that Edward Norton was even in the movie. A realness that could only be accomplished without purpose. The virtue of ignorance, one could say.