Movie Review: Birdman..takes flight in a metaphorical universe

 
There are some movies that you simply ‘don’t get’ – either the director is too confused about what he wants to showcase and points a finger in all possible directions, or the message itself is heavily cloaked – you have to unravel the layers, listen to the unspoken to get at the root of what the movie is trying to convey. While in some scenes you may think it’s the former, its mostly the latter reason that majority of us (self included) may not completely ‘get’ Birdman

Is it a parody? Is it trying to portray a journey through self reflection? Is it pointing a finger at its audience or is it actually ‘sticking it’ to Hollywood itself? There’s no straight answer, and its best not to look for one. This is clearly not a movie for one and all. Certainly not for those who think this is the next in a long line of superhero movies that have become all the rage these days. By the way, Birdman, also has an alternate title – The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance. Honestly, even if you cut through it all, you definitely don’t ‘get’ how this title figures in the potpourri of portrayals that is Birdman

What you do ‘get’ loud and clear though is the high quality performances. Michael Keating has a tough role to pull with a very complex character to portray, many shades of whom are not clear even as you exit the theater post the movie, but he does so with panache. Emma Stone delivers one monologue which stamps her authority so well, you look forward to more of her in the remainder of the movie. But it is Edward Norton, who has the real screen presence, even though his character has probably half the screen-time as that of the protagonist. He slips into his character with a quiet ease and despite such stellar performances by his rather accomplished peers, he manages to steal the show. Oh, and there’s also Zach Galifianakis who is nothing like his comedic avatars thus far

If you would let it, there are many things that would puzzle you about Birdman once you leave the theaters. Unfortunately, the particular style of movie making it adopts, isn’t favourable to too many repeat viewings. The pacing of the movie is slow. Despite the energetic jazz drumbeats throughout its runtime, it’ll take an effort for you to stay interested. So you are just gonna have to do with whatever you do take away from it.

Don’t get misled by the rave reviews. For those who can appreciate it, this movie might well blow them away. For most others though, its not going to ‘fly’ – quite literally.