Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
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Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Lead Actors: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough, and Zach Galifianakis
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 119 minutes
In a year that was loaded with so many of my all time favorite movies (Whiplash, The Grand Budapest Hotel, etc), I always question how this film, which I had heard was very strange, won best picture. Upon seeing it though, I understand why. First, the cast is loaded, and every actor adds a new dimension to the script. Keaton plays the paranoid schizophrenic with a fading star complex perfectly, reflected by Norton, who is so consumed with his craft that he neglects even basic human affability. Emma Stone and Andrea Riseborough give balance to the absurdity, but also have their own damage that weighs on their characters convincingly. And Galifianakis balances out the insanity by representing someone just trying to hold it all together. In my opnion though, the cinematography is what does it for me in this movie. It's almost claustrophobic how close the shots are to the actors, but it adds a new dimension to absurdity, feeling like a continuous shot through most of the movie. Can't fault it at all for winning best picture.