Birdman by director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel) is about Riggan (starring Michael Keaton), an actor who previously excelled in superhero roles and now wants to make a name for himself in serious art circles. His conflict between commercialism and art runs like a thread through the film. To musically support this thread, Inarritu enlisted the help of jazz drummer
… Antonio Sanchez, whom he first heard playing during a concert by Pat Metheny. Sanchez then played a solo of which Inarritu wondered how it was possible that four limbs could produce so many beats, emotions, sounds, ideas and extraordinary rhythms. This solo has always stayed with him, and when the time came, he used Sanchez's drumming to reproduce the inner conflict that plays out in Riggan's mind as a kind of metronome. The alienating effect that this creates is further enhanced by the suggestion that the film was recorded in one take. The rest of the film is supported by various classical pieces. (AD)more
