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The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The Haystack

The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The Haystack

Birdman Soars

Birdman Soars

By Corey O’Leary

Birdman director Alejandro Inarritu, known for his famous “Death Trilogy”, has directed several critically acclaimed dramas, including the brutal Amores Perros.

His fifth feature, Birdman, breaks away from his streak of heavy and serious dramas. Despite Birdman being labeled as a dark comedy, Inarritu, who also co-wrote the script, still proudly displays his impressive skills to craft a movie that pulls the audience in and is emotionally moving. He achieves that through many different techniques, all executed with flair, in a manner that clearly displays the incredible amount of time and effort put into the production of this film. What makes this film so refreshing is the fact that all elements of Birdman succeed in what they set out to do, whether this be the score or the cinematography, everything just works.

To be clear, Birdman is not a superhero movie as the title might imply. This is a movie that follows washed up actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) who now is writing, directing and starring in a Broadway adaptation of Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Set in the three days leading up to the show’s open night, it not only depicts the struggles Riggan and his producer/best friend Jake (Zach Galifianakis) face getting the show to run smoothly, but also the chaotic life of Riggan as he attempts to recover his career and family, all while wrestling with his own identity.

Inarritu paints a fully realized picture of Riggan that avoids resorting to flashbacks and exposition through clunky dialogue, a detail which further allows the viewer to be placed seamlessly into the relationships that Riggan battles to maintain. While the number of characters explored is numerous, the script is written in a way where none of the characters feel rushed or obligatory. The attention given to every character allows the movie to populate itself with rich and developed characters, ones that you care for as well as have a blast watching. This is the aspect of Birdman that had me entirely engaged throughout the movie, there was never a moment of boredom in this fast-paced flick.

Birdman makes you feel solemn at times, but triumphs when including fast, witty and sometimes bizarre dialogue exchanged between the ever more frantic characters. This movie will make you laugh, finding its strongest jokes in the absurdity of Riggans ego and the extreme dick-ish-ness of Edward Norton’s portrayal of a pretentious thespian. This is achieved through the casts exemplary performances, with every all the actors rising to the occasion to give it their best.

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Keaton’s tour de force performance elevates the movie and portrays the character of Riggan as somewhat of an anti-hero. The flaws of Riggan are displayed shamelessly and abundantly, yet this makes the character more relatable, everybody has flaws, and we watch this man put his entire sanity on the line for the sake of his play. While the play has primarily been conceived to mend his image, the likability of Riggan is a key component to  why this movie so fun to watch. The battle of Riggan’s identity plays out on the center stage, with his Birdman alter-ego quick to interject criticism of Riggan’s efforts to stay relevant.

A defining characteristic of Birdman is the fact that it was shot in a way that makes the whole movie appear that it was filmed in one long take. Not only is this impressive due to the amount of planning required to complete shots like that, but it also is effective in immersing the viewer into the world of the Birdman. The camera zips around the winding halls of the old Broadway theater, fluidly transitioning in conversations and impressively finding its way through the bustling crowds of New York City. The addition of a spectacular score by Antonio Sanchez, a jazz drummer, makes the film truly unique. The score, composed entirely of drums and cymbals, accompanies Riggan through his journeys, providing a musical approximation of the scattered actor.

Birdman can certainly be viewed as commentary on celebrity culture as a whole, especially after the name-dropping of celebrities like Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Fassbender. However, the movie doesn’t force any specific message on you, and lets the viewer take away what they wish. This allows the movie to be accessible to all different kinds of demographics, leaving something for everyone to enjoy. What this all adds up to is one blast of a movie. Birdman transcends entertaining and becomes downright impressive. Very rarely is there a production where it is clear that the entire crew has given it all, where every aspect of the movie has been carefully thought out. Birdman shines and manages to be extremely watchable and well-made, making for one of the best movies of the year.

 

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