What We Talk About When We Talk About “BiRDMAN”

I had the chance to see Inarritu’s  Birdman on Saturday as the film closed 52nd New York Film Festival. It was the film’s last screening and probably the festival’s last official screening excluding the encore on the next day. It was screened at a small screening room which made it very comfy and intimate. I learned the next day that the cast and director were present during the first screening at Alice Tully Hall. And this film has a pretty awesome cast so imagine seeing them live on stage answering your questions.

Now back to the film. You have probably heard that the film was shot like it is one big continuos shot in real time. That’s true, but not exactly in one shot and in real time. That would be something like Hitchcock’s Rope, but this one has few cuts and each cut lasts like more than 10-15 minutes which is really awesome and the film is set during a preview period for a new Broadway play leading up to its opening night premiere.

I salute director Inarritu for making this film possible and incredible. The way it’s staged is neat and how he directed these actors in long take while still giving their best is praise-worthy. And another awesome thing about this film is how the two main actors, Michael Keaton and Edward Norton, are kind of playing a meta version of themselves. Keaton, known for playing Batman, is a washed up actor trying to stage a comeback and to be taken seriously after playing the Birdman character in three movies by writing, directing, and acting in this Broadway play adaptation of Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Meanwhile Norton, known for being difficult on set and often clashes with his director, is playing pretty much the same thing, but more cocky. You might think they’re playing it safe then, but wait until you see them. These two actors really bring their A-game that if you looks past what the media says about them, they are truly great actors.