It’s a beautiful thing to see when a piece of satire proves true. It’s amazing to see people that seem unable to read between the lines of a film and in their criticisms of it, play right into what the film was satirizing. The movie I’m talking about, of course, is “Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance.”

Recently, I have seen or heard a lot of people refer to this movie as “pretentious” in a way that puzzled me. I had seen “Birdman” before, and as far as I could remember, it wasn’t at all pretentious. Either way, I decided to rewatch it.

It’s good. It’s really good. To be completely honest, “Birdman” is near perfect, and even when it’s not, it makes me forgive it for the rare miss.

The film stars Michael Keaton as a washed up former superhero actor, Riggan Thompson, who is attempting to stage a play he hopes will earn him the artistic credit he believes he deserves. And as far as the plot goes, it’s amazing.

I never lost interest in the story. The energy was constantly high and that made a two hour film feel much shorter at the time than it does in retrospect.

The characters themselves are amazingly crafted and well acted. Edward Norton makes an appearance as an accomplished Broadway actor who sees himself as the true artist. Norton’s performance is riveting, and he has great chemistry with both Keaton and Emma Stone, who plays Riggan Thompson’s addict daughter. Stone’s character is a dangerous one; she could, with her lack of empathy, appear lazy.

On the far opposite end, there are moments where she could easily come off with the “I learned it from watching you,” stereotype. And yet Stone handles it perfectly, balancing her character out into something unique.

And then there is Keaton, who has the job of using his character to drive most of the film, and he does it beautifully. He never comes off as bored or uninvested in the film, and he does more than necessary to keep the film going.

And then there is the cinematography, which has been contentious for a lot of people. The film is shot in maybe a dozen different shots.

The rest of the film consists of moving shots that take you from scene to scene. And it works. The longer shots give the film a flow that is both relaxing and engaging.

But what makes this one of my favorite films is the message it has. The film puts Riggan in a space that is hard to occupy. On one side, he wants to impress the artistic community, and on the other side he is only recognizable as Birdman, a superhero he played 20 years ago.

It presents the perfect metaphor for the idea of liking both high art and low art and how both sides will demonize you for your devotion to the other.

And that is why it’s so amazing to hear people call “Birdman” pretentious, because it plays right into the dichotomy that the movie is satirizing.

I give “Birdman” 5 out of 5 stars. Because tells an interesting story that has something to say. It’s one of my favorite movies, and if you haven’t seen it yet, go rent it on Amazon. It’s worth the money.

Alex Bertsch is the opinion editor for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].