Birdman
Birdman (2014) by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Crazy, trippy, film. Notable actors/actresses in this flick include Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, and Edward Norton. I’ll start with the fact that the cinematography in this film was very well done. The sets were extremely detailed, even the color schemes in each scene fit so perfectly with the underlying themes that present themselves throughout the movie. The lingering camershots, smooth time and scene transitions, with the constant blurring of reality and imagination in the narrative, keeps the audience engaged and guessing constantly.
The whole film centers around a washed up actor who had his time in the spotlight, but now desperately struggles to find a footing in these new times. Set in New York City, more specifically, on Broadway, Riggan’s last attempt at stardom relies on a play he’s put all his efforts into. With a stagnant career, he struggles to balance work and his personal life. His new play he's adapted, directed, and acted in, has the potential to be a hit, but in unconventional ways. As theater sometimes goes, his production does not run entirely smooth, leaving him to quelle financial issues, problematic actors, harsh critics, and his own demons tending to talk too loudly when he rather not hear them. He also faces the challenge of making his production relevant and impactful for his audience. In his mind, Riggan (Michael Keaton), is above all, he is superior and cannot cope with the reality that the world could care less at the end of the day. This film portrays his superiority complex quite creatively by blending actuality with Riggan’s imaginative powers he thinks he possesses.
The dialogue of this film is well done and simply stated. The voice in Riggan’s head never outdoes itself while the actors/actresses themselves reveal a lot about their characters through very simple one-liners. No one monologues on too much which makes the dialogue seem realistic and authentic. The color and lighting contributes to the themes and emotional response to most scenes. For example, in one scene where Riggan really starts to lose it, he goes and buys himself a bottle of whiskey. The store he goes to for it is decorated with a million colorful lights; a whole tunnel of them, wall-to-wall of beautifully stringed colors and shapes. This represents the epiphany he is about to have as morning comes around (after he passes out on a random city stoop). He awakes with the realization that he needs to show the world something miraculous. This catalysts the main climax of the movie.
What I enjoyed most about this movie is seeing the father-daughter dynamic between Sam (Emma Stone) and Riggan. It’s very complicated, and kind of sad, however, there are glimmers of hope, teaching us the lesson that it is never too late to try to right a wrong. Riggan tries in his own ways, but still holds this degree of selfishness and superiority as you’ll see by the resolution of the film. I don’t want to reveal too much because this film is truly a journey one needs to embark on themselves, but, I will say that if you’re a film lover who enjoys a good mental f*** then I’d highly recommend. My only issue with this production was that it dragged on too long. Although necessary to the plot, it seemed like a chore by the end of the movie to see it to completion. Since the movie is so crazy and there are a collection of climaxes all throughout, I was exhausted by the end of it and just wanted someone to do anything to push the plot to resolution. Overall, a necessary watch, though. Go at it.
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