Fantasy and Desire in Birdman

Birdman is a multi-layered masterpiece that has not received the recognition that it deserves from film scholars. This chapter explores two specific dimensions of the film in support of my claim about its significance. First, Birdman uses magical realism to blur the lines between reality and fantasy and to keep viewers in doubt about the status of events that they see on screen. Second, Birdman creates a sense of what might be called “hyper-realism” by simulating a one-shot film in the tradition of Hitchcock’s Rope (1948). This chapter analyzes in detail how Birdman combines elements of magical realism and hyper-realism to create structure and meaning in the film. Ultimately, I argue that this unusual combination of cinematic techniques deployed in this film offers not only an explicit satire of blockbuster superhero films, but also a more wide-ranging critique of the impoverished view of fantasy presented in most blockbuster fantasy films. Furthermore, Birdman itself can be viewed as an exemplar of a richer and more thought-provoking portrayal of the relationship between reality and fantasy in the medium of film.