Birdman

(Alejandro González Iñárritu, US 2014, 119 min., 35mm)

Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is a Hollywood star with a history of superhero blockbusters. In an effort to remain relevant he pours everything he has into a Broadway stage adaptation of “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” by Raymond Carver, who provided him with drunken encouragement early in his career. While adapting, directing, and starring in the play, he is also dealing with his estranged, recovering daughter (Emma Stone), an ex-wife he has mistreated (Amy Ryan), his best friend/lawyer (Zach Galifianakis), and a talented actor who challenges him (Edward Norton). Because of this, Riggan has started to believe he has telekinetic powers, and his superhero alter ego berates him at every turn. Iñárritu’s technique of the single shot (digitally stitched together from hundreds of takes) condenses time—and, as a result, the pressures on Riggan—so there is no break from the situation through transition or cut.