 | Birdman is consistently entertaining, thought-provoking, funny, and genuinely surreal – a remarkable achievement and a deserved Oscar success. |
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu deservedly won the Academy Award for best picture this year. The story of a washed up actor Riggan Thomson, who once played a super hero ‘Birdman’, tackles cultural, and emotional, and psychological issues.
Michael Keaton is perfectly cast in the lead, not only due to his previous time as in the Batman franchise, but also his ability to portray confidence, vulnerability and humanism. In fact the film is full of reflexive moments – at a press conference in Riggan's dressing room, he says that he hasn't played Birdman since 1992. That's the same year as Batman Returns (1992)!
Emma Stone and Edward Norton provide great support to Keaton, with smaller roles by Amy Ryan, Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough amount to a great sense of wonder and enjoyment at the bizarre behavior of Riggan.
Iñárritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros, and Babel) employs tricky cinematography, bold colour schemes and dramatic tones, shifting between the darkly comic and the just plain dark. The has-been with emotional problems story seems to allow for other elements to flourish – partly a savage takedown of media criticism and part mid-life crisis comedy.
It is a funny and frenetic film about existential crisis but also bites when it decides to perceptively explore both obsession and celebrity culture. Birdman is consistently entertaining, thought-provoking, funny, and genuinely surreal – a remarkable achievement and a deserved Oscar success.
Michael Keaton is perfectly cast in the lead, not only due to his previous time as in the Batman franchise, but also his ability to portray confidence, vulnerability and humanism. In fact the film is full of reflexive moments – at a press conference in Riggan's dressing room, he says that he hasn't played Birdman since 1992. That's the same year as Batman Returns (1992)!
Emma Stone and Edward Norton provide great support to Keaton, with smaller roles by Amy Ryan, Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough amount to a great sense of wonder and enjoyment at the bizarre behavior of Riggan.
Iñárritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros, and Babel) employs tricky cinematography, bold colour schemes and dramatic tones, shifting between the darkly comic and the just plain dark. The has-been with emotional problems story seems to allow for other elements to flourish – partly a savage takedown of media criticism and part mid-life crisis comedy.
It is a funny and frenetic film about existential crisis but also bites when it decides to perceptively explore both obsession and celebrity culture. Birdman is consistently entertaining, thought-provoking, funny, and genuinely surreal – a remarkable achievement and a deserved Oscar success.