When we first see Michael Keaton in “Birdman,” Alejandro G. Inarritu’s bracingly inventive and accomplished new film about fame, relevance, self-worth, and lots of other intense stuff, he’s sitting in his white undies, in the middle of a dressing room.
No, really in the middle. Like, in the air. He’s levitating.
Of course you think, “How‘d he DO that?” Turns out that’s an apt metaphor, intentional or not, for Inarritu’s entire achievement here. Fast-forward to film’s end, and we’ll bet the very same words will be on your lips: “How'd they DO that?”
Still, it’s best not to spend too much time thinking about the technical virtuosity of “Birdman,” most importantly how it creates the impression, thanks to master cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, that it’s all one continuous shot. Remember Lubezki’s 13-minute opening in “Gravity”? Merely an appetizer, it turns out. But the best thing about his work here is that it serves the narrative so well, you hardly notice.
Keaton, in a wonderfully raw, dark, and vulnerable performance, plays aging actor Riggan Thomson, who earned fame and wealth decades ago playing a superhero, Birdman. His fans want more; he’s moved on. (Any parallels here with Keaton, star of two “Batman” films a quarter-century ago, are purely intentional.)
In a bid to restore his sense of self-worth, and perhaps to exorcise the demon of Birdman—a tall order, since, uh, the superhero still regularly speaks to him in his head—Riggan’s putting on a show.
