He is still the birdman

     The film Birdman tells a story of a former cinema Riggan Thomson, who hopes to get rid of the image of “birdman” that people often defined him. Birdman was filmed to look like one continuous shot, which really helps to bring audience to be closer to the story. Besides that, the drumbeat that constantly appears in the film not only helps emphasizing the psychological activities of the characters, but it also creates a sense that the movie is actually a live performance.

     The idea of boundary is vague in this film. Fantasy and reality, acting and being oneself, these ideas are all intertwined together without an absolute explanation. In the film, Riggan and Mike have totally different views on acting. I personally think acting is a tool for Riggan to be famous and successful, Mike Shiner is the one who truly live for the show. While Riggan is struggling for popularity and prestige, Mike fully engaged in the play without any concerns. Although Mike is selfish and self-centered, on the other hand, his personality somehow helps him as being an excellent actor. On the stage, Mike does not follow the transcript completely; instead, he expresses his desire and lust while acting. Mike embarrasses Leslie in the preview by making an advance to be in the act of sex with Leslie, He does not care about if people like him or not, I guess that is why his acting is so well reviewed. Different from Mike, Although Riggan has put everything on his play; ironically, all he wants is prestige and acceptance. Therefore, he is still that fading birdman who will be forgotten by the audience.

Birdman Review

The film is about a man struggling with his dream and real life pursuits. He wants to be an actor but his continuing struggle with fame and money create a imbalance between his dream and reality.
The movie really questions the meaning of what are we living for) and the purpose of what we are doing. Also,the film reflects the ideas of how we find a stand point and how we prevent ourselves from being lost and pointless when we face lots of choices and have lots of goals in our life, and how we can determine our own creed of life. The authenticity is also an important idea mentioned in the movie. The main character, Riggan, has a determination of performing at Broadway and performing play instead of the big name Hollywood film, but finds out that there are lots of limitations for him to completely devote into the play itself because of his concerns about the outer factors, such as the comments of others, the amount of people that go to the play and the fame he could gain afterwards. He could not be truly authentic on the stage because he had never considered himself fully into the play. However, his partner, Mike, believes that he can only be authentic on the stage, because he finds that the stage is where he can release and express his true emotions. I found it is very contradicting about such idea because the play is performance of the life of others, which is not authentic at all, but Mike thinks that he is authentic on the stage.
Also the scene that woman who write comments for the movie tells Riggan that he is not an actor but just a celebrity attracts me. It is very interesting to hear that because people today always put those two words together and thinks they are the same meaning. However, the woman distinguishes those two words, because she thinks that the celebrity is the one who concerns about the fame and wealth instead of the art of performance itself. They always put the masks on and play the life of another people without complete devotion. However, instead of manipulating themselves, the actors are those who use their authenticity to perform and to interpret the characters of their roles and the deeper meaning inside of the play.
The movie reflects the meaning of being human is that we are able to form our own thoughts and act based on our own willingness, and to find out the meaning of life and live with goals. Also, to be human, we should always understand that the life cannot be a flat path, therefore, we should have the capability to overcome the obstacles and create a new start for ourselves.

A Film For Thinkers

The film Birdman is about an actor trying to let go of his past glory as the action hero “Birdman” and reconnect with his family and his true self. Existential themes in Birdman include questioning the meaning of life,(after Birdman what does he do with his life), the absurd,("Birdman" as a figment of his imagination), alienation,(feeling disconnected from his family), and suicide. These themes play out in Riggan’s day to day life and in the trips of imagination he goes on. 

Certain characters that really resonated where not the main characters but the “extras” who seemed to mimic Riggan’s thoughts in real time. The homeless man giving the Shakespearian speech, the drummer in the practice room which we finally saw at the end who always provided the ominous music when something dramatic was going on. Also, the not so minor character of Birdman in the suit, who provided an alternate inner dialogue to the main character. 

One more thing that is interesting to note was the use of leitmotifs. The drumming was used to indicate the delusional or confused mindset of Riggan, while the soaring orchestral theme was used to signify his mental return to the glory of Birdman.

Another aspect of the movie that was very interesting was the filming style, meandering down dark hallways so that we couldn't see exactly where the character was going, provided a more intimate and discombobulating feel to the film. Not providing the viewer with the “all-knowing” perspective that most films do, I think it made it more powerful as a whole. 

I think that the film touches on the important point of an inner voice that is very critical getting louder and louder until it consumes you, and overcoming it.

I would recommend the film very highly because whatever lens you are watching it through, philosophical, or none at all, I think you can gather a meaningful takeaway.

Birdman, the Icarus Died for Art

Birdman, the Icarus Died for Art 

   As an actor, Reagan loves art. As a result, he wants to be loved. 

  However, no one in the movie really understands him. Until the end, her daughter finally realizes that what Reagan wants is not to be famous, but to express his love of art. 

   The movie criticizes the ignorance of people and laments for true art. After Reagan became the Birdman, he realized that fame was not what he really wanted, so he rejected Birdman 4. However, People only recognize him as the superhero he used to be. They love him because he is cool on the big screen, not because they appreciate his performance. Struggling to be the real him, Reagan starts his own play, trying to shout to the world that he loves art and he can do art. 

—-

   Nevertheless, no one seems to understand him. They all think that Reagan just wants to be famous again. Reagan breaks up with his wife because she does not like his performance. But his wife doesn’t realize how important it is to Reagan. 

“Just because I didn't like that ridiculous comedy you did with Goldie Hawn didn't mean I did not love you. But that's what you always do. You confuse love with admiration”. 

   Reagan does not confuse love with admiration. Admiration is fame, but love is to respect his work. 

   In the film, Mike seems to be the only person that knows “what art is” and lives his life through performance. However, it is ironic that he values the comments of the critics more than the play itself.

   “Tabitha Dickinson. Yes. And, believe it or not, the only thing that matters in theater is whether she likes us or not. She does, we run. She doesn't, we're fucked.”

   When Reagan asks the critic Tabitha to at least watch his play, Tabitha rejects him because she thinks he is just a spoiled movie actor who uses play to make money. 

“You're no actor. You're a celebrity. Let's be clear on that… Would you like to know why? Because I hate you. And everyone you represent. Entitled. Spoiled. Selfish. Children. Blissfully untrained, unversed and unprepared to even attempt real art.” 

   When Reagan wants to be authentic, the society misunderstands him. They put a Birdman mask on him and make him into someone he is not. It is their ignorance of Reagan’s true will that cause him to commit suicide. For once, Reagan shows everyone what he is capable of making real art.

   The scene that I resonate with is Reagan’s last words in the play. When he says:

   “What's wrong with me? Why do I end up having to beg people to love me? I just wanted to be what you wanted. Now I spend every fucking minute praying to be someone else. Someone I'm not. Anyone… I don't exist. I'm not even here. I don’t exist. None of this matters.” 

   Through these lines, Reagan realizes that when he is making art, he has to beg people to support him. In order to satisfy others, he is forced to be a fake person. And his play doesn’t matter to anyone, because what people crave for is news, rumors, things that excite them, not art. No one recognize the real Reagan, so he does not exist. 

   Authenticity is a quality that society now lacks. When people try to be authentic, they are not welcomed, encouraged, or praised. Instead, they are marginalized, mocked, and unaccepted. When people look at others, they do not see how this person is. What they see is stereotype and their own judgment. To be authentic becomes and dangerous thing. 

   I will recommend this film not only because it has philosophical meanings but also because it reveals many dark side of the society. The movie wants to wake people up. It’s time for them to have some independent thoughts and generate their own ideas. And it is time for them to start see the world through their own eyes.

Birdman's Irrelevance

The most visible form of existentialism for me when watching bird man was the theme of relevance and trying to find meaning in ones life. I believe that an overall human condition that is often present in todays world is the search for acceptance in hopes to find the meaning of life or some kind of purpose. A scene that really resonated with me was Emma Stone’s monologue on Birdmans relevance and how just like all humans he is scared that he does not matter and that he will simply be forgotten after his death. I think that this driving fear is what pushes us to search out the approval and respect of our peers, because death is so impossible to comprehend that we try to focus all of our energy on making life last beyond the grave. Riggan struggles with his own relevance throughout the movie, which he feels he has lost after his role as the superhero bird man. He makes up for these feeling of irrelevance by trying to preform authentically in his play. This play i believe signifies the new era of art and thinking that he feels lost in after his era of super-heros and mindless hollywood movies. He uses this play as a ticket into a new era, which he hopes will allow him to be recognized and praised again, however, ironically, it is not until his actual suicide attempt when he has completely given up on life that he is actually praised and accepted like he wants to be. However at this point, he has reached a point of authenticity with himself that the acceptance and recognition of others doesn’t matter to him. 

My type

The film Birdman is about an actor, who was famous for the role of birdman in the film birdman, wants to find the existential by directing a musical and perform it on Broadway. However, there are a lot of difficult relationships that need him to solve: the relationship between his wife and daughter, the relationship between other actors, the relationship with the society, and most importantly, the relationship with his own mind. After experiencing all the pain, struggles, and disappointments, he finally develops the value of himself in the end of the film by solving all the problems ,and gets supported from all the relationships.

Moreover, the film also addresses some important human issues. One of them that pops out is that people nowadays blind themselves by ignoring their own values because of the expectations from the society and the people around them. They lose themselves and try to change themselves in order to fit in the society, and during the process they also ignore their closest people, which is family in this case, and the disappointment that they give to their families create huge distance between them. To be a human does not mean to become the same type of person as others, but live in your own way like the leaves from the trees base on the society which is the body of the tree in this case. There are a lot of leaves on a tree, and the tree will not die by losing one leaf. Some of the leaves may fall earlier than others, and some can even stay while the winds are coming. People choose what kind of the person that they want to be by themselves, and the society will not stop working by the effort from one person. Therefore, we need to make our life more unique and valuable so that we can enjoy our life in the process.

I really recommend the film especially for the people who are struggling between decisions. This film lets us question ourselves that what kind of the person that we really want to be, and helps us develop our own values. We are humans but we do not need to be the same. Everyone is good at something and everyone’s efforts make a society. Therefore, it is important to have all kinds of people in the society, and every talent is unique and special. People should be proud of what types of person that they are, and to use their values in the society.

The Spell of Inferiority

The movie is about the struggle of Riggan in transforming his identity from the celebrity actor Birdman to a true Broadway artist who sacrifices himself to his role on stage. Riggan believes that his authentic existence lays in being an artist, not the character Birdman worshiped by the society. When he faces obstacles in becoming his true self - funding, willful and uncontrollable fellow actors, public opinions and the contempt of the critic, another part of himself, the Birdman, keeps trying to persuade and intimidate him to go back to Hollywood and be in his comfort zone, where fame is assured. Riggan eventually overcome this inner voice and acts an authentic show on stage, shooting his nose off. However, when he appears on the front page as he wishes and wins the applause of the crowd and silents his former self-the Birdman, he seems to be lost without exhilaration.

Absurd and alienation are themes I see in this movie. It is impossible for the public to know one for one's true self, as selfish opinions and assumption are always imposed on a public figure, whether he is an entertaining celebrity or lofty artist/craftsman. Riggan's effort in breaking his comfort zone is notable, but he fails in the last step in that he seeks proof of his existence from the crowd, from the appraisals and the critic, from being loved, while one's true self can never be fully understood and loved by the mass. He neglects people who truly care for him (his wife and daughter), and is stubbornly self-absorbed in the conviction that his way is the right way. He quits Birdman because it is painful for him to recognize the one who is loved by the crowd is the mask he wears, not the person under the mask; and that is what prompts him to change his character. Sadly, when he's new self is again acknowledged by the crowd, he realizes that this is not what he wants either. And, ironically, he shot his nose off to be authentic to his role, to the audience, but the new nose he has looks very much like that of Birdman's. For the open ending, given Sam's simile, Riggan is definitely free. However, I think he can be free in two senses: either he literally breaks free, or that he is tired of and despair about this world where public opinions always exist, he frees himself from the mortal frame.  It is likely that by offering his bare self to the public, instead of breaking free, the shackle of the public holds even more tightly on Riggan. So he choose to jump off the window and be free of this world.

    

While Riggan is consciously pursuing his true-self, his mistake is that he is looking for the prove of his authenticity from the crowd, from his audience, who ultimately disappoints him. He cannot break the spell of inferiority, the fight to be relevant as it is put by Sam, the spell that is cast on all human beings as a specie of social animal. It is easy to say, as we always do, that we should not care about others' objections and be confident in going our own way. But the truth is that this might be the hardest thing ever.

Who is he

Birdman is about a faded movie star, Riggan, struggling about who he really is and deserving to become a real actor. In birdman, it shows several existentialism themes, such as anthenticity, anxiety regard of life, importance of the individual, and absurdity. In the movie, Riggan deserves to be approve by audience that he is a real actor instead of a popular Hollywood movie star. Therefore, he chooses to have his own Broadway. Although all the people denies his shows because people always define him as a movie star instead of a talented actor, he deserves to prove that he is really talented too. This is the importance of individual. Riggan wants to define himself instead of defined by others. He won't confused by the majority and society. He also ask him question about who he really is. There are several scenes about birdman shows up and talk to him about he just wants to be famous again, and then he become angry. However at the end, he finally realizes that he wants to be himself instead of a famous celerity. He find his own life meaning through absurdity. He was always anxiety when each situation shows up. When he talks with Dickinson, he is really anxiety and angry about she is trying to deny his work, and he become angry about who he is and trying to insult her. This is the anxiety regard of extreme situation. There is a scene that Riggan takes off his bandage at the bathroom. I think he is finding his real identity by taking off the society-label. He finally has the rights to define himself and be a person he wants to be. 

Stay next to "Birdman"

In Birdman, I notice many themes of existentialism including authenticity, alienation, and absurd. What interest me most are two themes in the movie, unexpected anticipation and authenticity.

Many scenes in Birdman make me frustrated because the scenes’ developments did not really follow my anticipations. For example, when I thought Riggan Thomson was going to die when he jumped out of the window, he survived and even flew on the sky. Furthermore, when I assumed that Thomson would shoot himself and died on the stage, he survived with a new nose. I think this theme is extremely important in the movie because it shows the director or designer's opposition to mindset or to social norm. We, as human beings, often predict what would happen next based on logics or certain clues. However, if we want to continue exploiting, discovering, and creating, we have to accept unexpectations. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger used to believe that reasoning and logics are not good thing because they shut other explanations and possibilities out of our minds. Life is absurd, so life is happy. I think one of the themes of existentialism, absurd, could be interpreted well in this movie. 

Another theme I notice in the movie is authenticity. That is the main theme the movie wants to show. My question is whether or not Riggan becomes authentic at the end. Obviously, Riggan was not authentic because he cared about other’s opinions to him at the beginning. But at the end of the movie, I’m still questioning about his authenticity to his own life. If he becomes authentic at then end after his nose was changed, why did he still fly into the sky like a birdman? I thought what he wanted to do was to get rid of the light of birdman, and became a real artist on the stage.

Fly into authenticity

The film focuses on authenticity. Riggan struggles with finding his authentic self. He is trapped in the costume of birdman, the character still speaking in his head. This makes it impossible for him to become authentic to his true self and take off the mask of the birdman character. The absurd is shown in Riggan's attempts to become who he wants to be and go from being birdman to presenting his play and starring in the production as an actor, not just a celebrity. I think this rio, addresses labels with Riggan being labeled as a celebrity and not an actor, and Riggan having been labeled as birdman and trying to change the label to his roll in the play. We see the critic try and place Riggan as a celebrity, as Birdman. But this is not Riggan's authentic self. He struggles trying to present his play and his character in a meaningful and authentic way. After ending up in the Hospitol because he shot his nose we finally see him "fly" out the window. I this this was a symbol of him freeing himself from labels and finally finding himself and becoming authentic to himself. I think the film allows you to interpreted things in your own way allowing more imagination in the ways we see the film. It has an interesting way of going about explaining its themes but I think it can be valuable. I would recommend seeing it at least twice because it felt like the first time around was just trying to get the story line and it was hard for me to really delve into the meaning of the movie.

The Complexity that is Birdman

An existential theme I saw was the quest to feel that one is existing and is truly a part of this world. The plays manner of repeating the line “I don’t exist” emphasized the struggle to find the feeling of belonging. Sam’s speech also raised the source of human angst and restlessness when she spoke about every person fighting everyday to feel relevant. No one wants to feel forgotten or ignored, having nothing to contribute. She pointed out to Riggan that he was afraid that he no longer mattered and that the play was his way of shining and crying out that yes he was still important. This resonated with me because it made me realize that it’s true. When people validate you, it makes you feel that whatever you are aiming towards at that point in your life, is worth it. Your fight and persistence to achieve want you want has come to it’s fruition and it reassures you that you should keep going. Throughout the movie the main character could be said to be searching for his authentic self while still remaining in the grasp of his alter ego, Birdman. He is pushed to the edge in wanting to discover himself, so much so that he ends up shooting his nose in an effort to finally be free. I interpreted the ending to possibly be a symbol of his release or a melding of his inner Birdman and himself. Maybe they finally became one and there is no longer the trouble of feeling that one is overpowering the other. I would recommend this movie to those who want to delve into deep topics and have content to analyze over. It’s a movie meant to be seen more than once, for I feel each time will offer new bits of information and insight.

Voice In Mind

In the movie Birdman, Riggan Thomson, a Hollywood celebrity has been turned a Broadway actor. He is constantly searching for a meaningful existence through his career. Riggan has made it clear that his intention of directing and creating the play is to be authentic to himself. He wants something real, to be known for more than the superhero Birdman. It is risky but he hopes that the Broadway will prove that he is a real artist and not just a washed-up movie star.

I think the most interesting part of this movie is Riggan’s struggle with his identity- battling between everyone’s impressions as the Birdman and being as an actor “Riggan”. The first review he receives via newspaper about his play only broadcasting the return of Birdman. It is clear that whatever Riggan does, he is always be associated with his past career as Birdman. So, there is an inner battle that has spawned a voice inside Riggan’s, the voice of Birdman that constantly criticizes and mocks Riggan with the new path that he has taken. This voice in his mind forces Riggan to reflect on his action. When Riggan gunshots himself on stage, he has won the adoration of his fans and earned his daughter’s respect. When he takes off his mask at hospital, Riggan is finally able to silence Birdman’s voice. Riggan learns to make peace with himself and his past because he proofs that he is a dedicated performer who is literally willing to die for his play. In the end, his daughter Sam’s smiling face may also suggests that Riggan is free and actually floating in the sky. “Birdman” cannot represent Riggan anymore. 

Searching for meaning and value

In the film "Birdman" Riggan is trying to rebuild his reputation and want to become famous again in the movie and the Broadway show world. He is living in his own world and doesn't know what’s outside of his own space. He is kind of lost.  Riggan is trying to find out what is his value of  living in this world and also why does he want to be an famous actor and director and also trying to find out what he really is. He is trying really hard to search for the meaning and value of him being in this world, a world where there's full of fantasy. I think authenticity is a big theme. In the film, there is always a voice that's telling Riggan the truth and telling him that he's not famous anymore and people doesn't care about him, and also telling him the reality but sometimes encourages him and leads him onto the right track.  Riggan is always fitpghting against himself and trying to get over with his pressure that related to thousands of audience. The ending of the movie is the most interesting and resonated part to me. At the hospital, Riggan finally takes off his Birdman mask and no longer need the fake person inside his mind to guide him and tell him what to do also to tear him down from hiding behind the truth. Also his daughter finally have a smile on her face and looking up in the sky instead of looking down. And to me, I think he finally found himself and know that being famous isn't that important, there are lots of different things waiting for him to seek. Riggan finally found the meaning and value of his life and no longer living negatively.

The Quest for Authenticity

Birdman addresses a person’s pursuit for authenticity through the the fictious character Riggan Thomson. Riggan recently dropped out of his famous “Birdman” role in order to express the roots of the theatre arts through the play “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” but according to a highly regarded critic, Riggan, despite his dramatic career decision, remains to represent the “entitled, selfish, spoiled children” of Hollywood who are “blissfully untrained, unversed, and unprepared to attempt real art.” As a result, Riggan attempts to bring meaning into his reality, but even in an act of bloody bravery and sacrifice for the arts, his director tries to thwart Riggan’s action into a scandal that will produce money rather than promote change and authenticity into our material world. The only person in the film that really resonated with Riggan’s shooting himself in the face was the critic, who took the initiative to spread Riggan’s devotion and love of theatre through a positive review of the play, apart from Riggan’s daughter, Sam. In a heated discussion, Sam confronts her father and says “Let's face it, Dad, it’s not for the sake of art. It’s because you want to feel relevant again.” Saying this demonstrates that Sam recognizes authenticity and acknowledges that at the beginning of her father’s journey that was not his goal. Knowing Riggan’s previous pursuits which contrast with his final actions, Sam, like the critic, promoted authenticity by publicizing Riggan’s pictures on social media. In conclusion, I would recommend this film to anyone with an open mind, a passion for the arts, and a desire for the truth.