Every year, we get a few films that truly challenge our preconceptions about the power of film.
Even the best movies released each year often fail to be more than entertainment, or remain ambiguous in regard to interpretation. All these qualms, with current American Cinema, are what make a film like Birdman so wonderful. It’s a confrontational work of art that refuses to simplify its themes to appease casual audience members, and its story is one that can be applied to anyone who views themselves as having passed their twilight years.
Birdman will be flat-out unenjoyable for some viewers. They will complain that the film is too artsy or that it does not attempt to entertain like a Hollywood Blockbuster, but please ignore all these negative opinions. It is, not only my favorite film of the year, but also the best. Anyone who tells you that it isn’t worth your time or money, is wrong. It may hold its audiences to higher standards than most, but in my opinion, it’s about time films did.
Birdman follows Riggan Thompson, a washed up actor once known for a series of superhero films, centered on the titular character. The film begins, however, as Riggan is attempting to launch a stage adaptation of the Raymond Carver novel, “What We Talk About, When We Talk About Love”.
While this premise may not appear applicable to your daily life, everyone can sympathize with Riggan, whose motivation throughout the film is to regain respect and admiration for his art.
Riggan is everyone who has ever been dissatisfied with the path they’ve taken in life, and desperately desires just one more chance to correct his mistakes. At least that’s how I interpret Riggan’s characterization, and that is what makes the film so spectacular. Nothing is surface deep, and every scene has something more to say than you may catch the first time around. This emphasis on interpretation is aided by the use of fantasy sequences and the editing of the film, which gave it the appearance of being shot utilizing one take. Nothing seems artificial, and everything appears as realistic as possible, yet how can that be true if a major motif of the film is honesty versus embellishment?
I don’t know, and it’s not my job to give you the answer. It is my job, however, to convince everyone to see this film.
A few months ago, I reviewed Boyhood, contending that it was the best movie of the year, but Birdman retained one important feature Boyhood did not. When I walked out of Birdman, I wanted to watch it again. The film was humorous, even during its most tragic moments. It didn’t need to depress me to convey its themes, something that cannot be said of Boyhood.
Birdman, is the film that will be regarded as one of the finest examples of cinema this decade. It is an example of how the medium can challenge audiences and in doing so encourage analysis rather than simply summary.
