Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Alejandro González Iñárritu's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
- Before Michael Keaton was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a 2014 American black comedy-drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Michael Keaton stars as Riggan Thomson, a faded Hollywood actor famous for playing the superhero Birdman, who attempts to reclaim artistic legitimacy by writing, directing, and starring in a Raymond Carver adaptation on Broadway. As opening night approaches, Riggan battles a hostile critic, an unpredictable method actor played by Edward Norton, his own crumbling self-worth, and the hallucinatory voice of his former superhero alter ego urging him to abandon the stage for blockbuster relevance.
The film was designed to appear as a single continuous shot, with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki employing elaborate choreography and hidden cuts to create an unbroken flow through the backstage corridors, dressing rooms, and stage of the St. James Theatre. This technique immersed viewers in Riggan's increasingly unhinged psychological state, blurring the boundary between reality and hallucination.
Michael Keaton's casting was a masterstroke of meta-commentary — the actor's own career trajectory, from Batman star to character actor, mirrored Riggan's story so precisely that the performance became inseparable from biography. Antonio Sanchez's jazz drum score, performed almost entirely live, gave the film a restless, improvisational energy. Birdman won four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography, and earned $103 million worldwide on a $16 million budget.
