Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Püha Sõprus in September is dedicated to the 'Three amigos' of Hollywood as they call themselves: Alejandro Gonzalez-Iñarritu, Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón. We will finalize this months' programme with Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu's greatest success (so far) as a filmmaker, Oscar-winning "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)". This absurdist film is the perfect preview for the director's brand new film "Digger" premiering in Sõprus in October. 

Eager to shake off his reputation as an ex-superhero movie star, Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) mounts an intimate Broadway production of Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film follows that production through the week of previews leading up to opening night, with each performance more dramatic than the last… but not for the reasons Riggan was hoping. 

Birdman or (The Unexpected Value of Ignorance) treats the theatre as a last bastion of artistic integrity in a world besieged by social media virality and superhero movies, smartly using the real-life reputations of his impressive cast – it’s no coincidence that Keaton as Birdman looks very much like Keaton as Batman – for extra resonance. The film is constructed to play like a single two-hour take (though in fact there are a number of well-concealed cuts), which adds further intensity and claustrophobia to the heady backstage action.