BIRDMAN: OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE) (2014) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Alejandro González Iñárritu

Written by - Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Anexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo (play based on a story by Raymond Carver)

Starring - Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts

"A former superhero actor faces an existentialist crisis as he embarks on his eyebrow Broadway debut. 

A very intelligent drama that primarily deals with the nature of the contrast between escapist art with one of a more intellectual nature. Part of its cleverness also comes from its centred and spot-on casting of Michael Keaton in his best role to date, who delivers an ace performance as the tortured and conflicted actor. 

However, Birdman is also driven by the visionary ambition of its filmmaker Alejandro Gonzàlez Inarritu, who structure the whole thing to look as if it were shot in real time and with unfolding continuity, which also highlights a wonderful and well co-ordinated cinematography that makes the whole thing look compact and concrete. 

As well as that, this very approach also manages to tie together the two contrasting themes of the film, and the cinematic with the theatrical, while the screenplay never quite forgets about character development and deepens its story with plenty of emotional and psychological aspects."

Drama, USA