Birdman (Alejandro González Iñárritu)

pixelburp · 16-03-2015 3:58pm

Caught it just before it left the cinemas, and I suspect in years to come the aspect Birdman will be solely remembered for will be its technical accomplishment, joining the relatively short list of 'one take' films, whose legacy surrounds what can be a bit of a gimmick. Separate to others such as Hitchcock's Rope, whose camera felt stagy and detached, the manner in which the camera wove and danced around the characters left me with a sense that perhaps the real main character in this ensemble film was the theatre itself.

With the exception of one or two scenes, the bulk of the action took place within and outside the walls of the St. James Theatre and I felt like the viewer was the building itself, drifting from person to person, observing the odd, maniacal humans agitating themselves in pursuit of a dream. And a dream it was: Michael Keaton's character may have been the most ostensibly insane person in the cast (at least, I think so), but the film felt like an angry assault on the world of theatre, or at least the version we like to think that exists, full of snobbery, pretension and a barely-concealed contempt for those acting in the 'lesser' arts. Lindsay Duncan and Edward Norton appeared themselves untethered from reality, as unhinged as Keaton's Riggan Thompson.

Generally, I enjoyed the film though; even if it was occasionally quirky to a fault, it had energy, wit and enough humour to make the time fly by. Definitely not to everyone's taste, and the aforementioned quirks might alienate, but it's not the most indigestible movie a person could see over the year.

weemcd · 07-11-2015 9:40pm

I thought this film was excellent. Stylish, well cut, decent performances, the film breaks out of any particular mold.

I think what I enjoyed the most was how aware of itself it was, Norton and Keaton playing up to their difficult actor types they've been labelled with throughout their careers. Slating superhero films and critics alike.

Not perfect, but a very brave and visually stunning film.