The Cinephile’s Journey: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars
The Cinephile’s Journey is an attempt to watch and review every film that has won The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar for Best Picture.
Plot: “A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.”
Review: The first movie I can remember watching in a cinema was Tim Burton’s 1989 film, Batman. That film would forever change me. The spectacle of it all mesmerized me. On that day, I fell deeply in love with the cinematic experience, the art form of movies, and the work of Michael Keaton.
Since that fateful day, I have seen over a thousand movies in a theater and thousands more at home. I have also closely followed the career of Michael Keaton. Over the last 30+ years, his career has seen triumphant highs and spellbinding lows. Just when it seemed as if Hollywood had forgotten him and moved on, he launched into a decade defined by some of his best work. That work includes the Best Picture winner, Birdman, a film for which he received a Best Actor nomination.
This film goes beyond just using tracking shots to tell a story - it also has a lot to say about art, consumption, and what makes something relevant. Although any actor could have played the lead role in this story, Keaton's casting added a unique layer of nuance to the film. As an actor who got his big break playing a comic book hero, it feels special and, perhaps, voyeuristic to watch Keaton play an actor who also got the same sort of break. As Keaton’s Riggan turns to the Broadway stage in search of truth and the promise of authenticity, he does so balancing his own truth and fiction masterfully.
On this journey, Riggan battles ego and relevancy as he works to establish a new artistic voice for himself. Cost overruns, self-righteous actors, and his failures as a father and a husband are ever-present challenges. A haunting, jazz-infused soundtrack that makes the confined spaces of the theater feel claustrophobic underscores these roadblocks and, as if there is no place one can be alone with their thoughts.
In the end, Riggan needs one brave performance to rise above the criticism, gatekeeping, and doubt. With his back against the wall, Riggan does exactly that, but never in a way you would expect. As he bares his soul on the stage, sure of himself and the heartache he cannot shake, it is Keaton who soars to new heights. Above it all, he shows us he is so much more than an actor in a leather suit.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
