Birdman is a triumph on every single level. The script is both razor sharp in its satire and a well-pitched documentation of a mental breakdown, realised by a collection of actors totally immersed in their send-up roles and set against a technically flawless production, with effortlessly fluid cinematography and a minimalist drum soundtrack expanding the hallways of the off-broadway theatre setting. You could focus on a single one of those elements and wind up making a pretty great film, but Alejandro González Iñárritu doesn't skimp on artistry once, bringing them all together in a blackly comic dissection of the ego. Whether it's creating a vast mental delusion of a superhero action finale or berating critical bias, The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance hits every single one of its targets. And, for all its contemporary elements (the casting of Michael Keaton as a past-it superhero actor chief among them), the broader strokes are incredibly timeless. The film is the most deserving Best Picture Oscar winner since The Lord Of The Rings' clean sweep over a decade ago, but that hasn't stopped some from claiming that it's "overrated". But if a film is going to suffer from extreme levels of hype, isn't it rather fitting that it's one so inward looking?
