Birdman
I had been excited to see this film because the trailer was so bizarre and perfect with the Gnarls Barkley song. Michael Keaton plays a washed up actor who attempts to direct and star in an adapted play on Broadway. It's funny with an amazing cast (Emma Stone, Mr.Galifinakis, Naomi Watts and Edward Norton) it also raised some interesting ideas about the prestige of theatre vs. film and the value of fame and critique in contemporary times.
I came out the theatre unsure of how I felt about the film. Sure, it was visually impressive - the entire film shot and edited in a way that simulates one really long take on steadicam (a la Russian Ark), it gave Keaton's character, Riggan's subconscious more colour. The soundtrack was also different and unique.
But - I have to agree with the other students during our discussion the next morning - the characters just didn't feel relatable, we couldn't empathise. Somehow the film felt utterly objective even though there was clearly a protagonist.
The pacing was hindered because of the constant dream-like quality of the steadicam, so tension and release were left solely in the hands of character actions and actor performances. The power of the edit is something unique to the medium of film and although unnoticeable when utilised at its best, a film suffers when editing is not quite right, in this case not there at all. Coupled with the fact that the structure of the film was more episodic than the typical the three-acts, Birdman felt like a wandering amble that functioned on only on two gears with no gradation in between: 1st gear where the more pensive and confessional moments in the film involved characters and their heart-to-heart. The film settles into stillness in these moments. 2nd gear was everything else. What was meant to be suspenseful and tense just couldn't be as gripping.
The one thing that the steadicam aesthetic did add to the film was that it made certain reveals and off-screen action more immediate and unexpected.
We never got to speak to Inarritu during the festival but it would have been interesting to ask him about the rationale behind the steadicam style and if there was more to it.