Birdman and the meaning of existence
film analysis celebrating the 10th anniversary of a masterpiece
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33871/sensorium.2024.11.9827Abstract
In this article I propose a hermeneutic film analysis of the movie Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) written and directed by Alejandro Gonzales Iñarrito. This work is considered in relation to the interactions and interpenetrations among the philosophical, symbolic, perceptual, and technical levels carried out in the film. These domains are complemented with reflections on aspects of cinematography and the transdiegesis that occurs in the soundtrack. By analyzing these elements, I aim to interpret the multiple layers of meaning and the existential questions proposed in the narrative. In doing so, I intend to demonstrate the organicity of the film to justify, based on artistic criteria, the adjective “masterpiece” explicitly used in the title of this article.
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