means, look no further than Giacobone. But he hasn't merged with his alter ego, as is revealed when he goes into the bathroom and sees Birdman on the toilet. Birdman ending [Spoilers Riggin was hallucinating one last chance at doing things right, being a legitimate husband, father and actor, and not a sell-out. They do exist. finishes tha That finale would have brought Birdman full-circle, as the opening scene is Riggan in the dressing room, with his Birdman inner-voice saying, How did we end up here?. Why did These themes were cited by the writers of the film. Then Riggan jumps out the window, killing himself. Assume SPOILERS in the comments below. Sam lays her head on Riggans chest. Youre doing this because youre scared to death, like the rest of us, that you dont matter. Massive spoilers forBirdman follow. Unexpected uint64 behaviour 0xFFFF'FFFF'FFFF'FFFF - 1 = 0? In Jack Sparrows voice [it would say], What the fuckare we doing here, mate? It was going to be the satire of the endless loop of that.. This play is gonna last forever. And if you need more And, of course, their age was two strikes against them. Birdman Ending Scene: Film Analysis. He survives the suicide, jumps out the hospital window, flies, and his daughter sees that he is a real superhero (Birdman ending) or he shoots himself on stage and the last scene is just his dying thoughts. Which interpretation makes the film the most rich and meaningful for you? Jake is right, this is what Riggan wanted. After reading the last paragraph for couple more times, especially this line. I guess my Irritu's choice to hold back the hospital scene'scarnage, or lack thereof (his corpse belowor levitating body above), makes it clear that the filmmaker wanted the finale to be partly ambiguous. But that doesnt mean there isnt beauty. And you know what, youre right, you dont. His most satisfying explanation of the ending (both to him and to me) is this one: In the last moment of the play he actually kills himself with the gun (instead of merely wounding himself). After all, we've been in Riggan's head for much of the movie. process). I said Riggan was the one who added all of that about Ed, but in reality its Irritu. Prior to Birdman's big night at the Academy Awards, Irritu was asked about the film's ending, revealing that it wasn't the original ending he had scripted: It had a different ending but in the middle of shooting, I knew it was a piece of shit. In the original ending, Johnny Depp would be the next in line (so to speak) when it comes to dealing with what Riggan was dealing with. Success hasnt magically cured him of the existential strife he feels. technically dazzling and thematically ambitious films of the year, theOriginal 'Birdman' Ending Took Aim at Another Big Film Franchise. Share. He really dies, as is evidenced by the jump cuts and scenes from his life, ending with jellyfish on the To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Riggans play has transcended art and become an event. He's ascending, but this time it isn't a flight of ego and delusion. This is my career, this is my chance to do some work that actually means something. Then, he shoots himself in the head, while the audience claps in adoration. The closing scenes represent his final thoughts before dying. And Riggan gets to be himself. In every one of those scenes where you see him rail against being killed by degrees, you see something happen. You know, youve seen it in the movies. Given his choice of subject matter (and the character he electsto play in his production), Riggan clearly aspiresto Mel's sanguineview of love - and the power it can carry. Both kneecaps broken. Its sad, yes. Whether he dies, lives, or flies, Riggan has learned(and in doing so, mirrored, the larger thought presented in "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love") that he can be and is loved. His real self is a terrible husband and not-so-great father, yet he sees himself as superhuman on-stage and it spills over to the off-stage when he floats things around the room, brought back to reality by his director. He isnt concerned about how Riggans doing, only about Riggans career. Jake is pumped about the rave review from Tabitha Dickinson (Lindsay Duncan). It did not happen for real just like the woman was looking at him in the intermediate scene while he was flying, it's his sense of confusion about what he is in his own life. After the tragic event, his wife Mary said it was an accident, and that the famous writer was cleaning his gun when the firearm shot accidently. When Sam returns, Riggan is gone. "We're not going to sit around and explain the ending. Hes proven he exists. And you know what, youre right, you dont. Sam hurries to the window, looks down at the street, expecting to see a body, then with a puzzled expression slowly looks skyward, and then smiles brightly. The result is universal acclaim by the press and the critics and ultimately his daughter. The elderly husband, stuck in a cast that wouldnt let him turn his head, was distraught by the fact he couldnt look over and see his wife, missing the very sight of her. Shes the legacy of his personal life. And she had to have her legs slung up on top of it. You are doing this because you want to feel relevant again. but, fortunately for viewers, co-writer Alex Dinelaris may havespilled the details. He jumps, but instead of a cheesy montage of him soaring over times square we get a shot of his daughter accepting and celebrating his "liberation" (suicide), which is every bit as ridiculous. Movies & TV Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for movie and TV enthusiasts. WebThe ending can go one of two ways. Not just about his work or his actor world. Riggan died when he shot himself on stage. Its a surreal moment, but I think it captures the fact that the stage may be sacred to many but it isnt safe. His daughter comes in and immediately tweets a picture of him in the bandages, telling him he "looks hideous," but informing him that he is a hit on social media. It's brought up by Edward Norton's character during the truth or dare game when he says he can get it up on-stage but not off-stage. They were up in their mid-seventies, that couple. R: I have a Twitter page?S: Yeah, I set it up today.R: Let me see.S: No way. That Sam can smile and laugh in that moment because she knows her dad would too. Another evaluationof the ending suggests that Riggan, for whatever reason, isn't just an actor who played a flying superhero, he's actually a superpowered being - capable of defying gravityand, presumably, physics (via telekinesis). He fails again, though, and survives. Im not even here.. Id say she was worse off than he was. And if you need more proof that there's no single answer about what it Its like when Riggan tells Lesley (Naomi Watts) that shes important and lovely and that he needs her. It was bad.") Its not a happy coincidence that Michael Keaton, the original Batman from the 1989 movie, plays an aged actor (Riggan Thomson) who was known as the superhero Birdman but hasnt done anything relevant in 20-some years. In my opinion he jumped and died. Ok, the first scene where he flies and ends up in front of the theater he is saying something to the affect of " 'Birdman' Ending Explained - Screen Rant You mock Twitter. They mention this in every interview I've seen. But by shifting focus to Sam, theres beauty in the love father and daughter discover for one another. [Sylvia slaps Jake]J: Why arent you saying anything? There is an entire world out there where people fight to be relevant every single day. Go figure. He wants to be good in real-life and break free of Birdman, but he needs to be Birdman to feel good in real-life. When he is rejected by his daughter by her saying he isn't relevant, and then rejected by the critic, he pushes himself all the way to his Birdman character giving them "blood and action" on stage by shooting himself. Something. elements of magical realism established by director Alejandro Gonzlez very small. For the writer quotes. Love claimed her husband had locked himself in a room with a revolver and said he was going to kill himself. Is he famous because he shot himself? The play is a smash success and everyone in the country is talking about Riggan again. Riggan wasnot a Hollywood hack, he was adedicated performer - so dedicatedthat he was literally willing to die for his craft (creating "super-realism" in the process). Birdman Ending Explained: The Dichotomy of an Actor - Collider As such, the ending of the film has him stepping outside of his hospital room after achieving critical acclaim based on his performance, financial success based on good reviews, and the love and support of his family who were previously unavailable to him. For that reason, any of the theories presented above could be true (as well as others that have not been mentioned). Both public and personal. Beginning: He was not famous, family is not functional, daughter is in rehabilitation, one of the main character is being played by a mediocre actor in his play. You're right. Birdman Ending: Why That Obscure Final Shot Makes Total Sense It is hard to say exactly when this scene starts because of the fact that the whole movie is shot in the illusion of being one continuous take. Youre the one who doesnt exist. Sam: Means something to who? He was off in a corner, laid out on a gurney. Or a father to Sam. Can someone explain why this point is giving me 8.3V? To understand the ending its important to understand the key themes of the movie. Still, directorAlejandro G. Irritu isn't simply focused on Riggan, and the filmmaker takes opportunities to explore what his characters talk about when they too talk about love - producing a rich and layered movie experience (one that also happens to contain some potentially head-scratching moments for casual viewers). Ok, the first scene where he flies and ends up in front of the theater he is saying something to the affect of "up here where we belong, above them all." The use of telekinesis is there to demonstrate the divide between Riggans perception of himself and the reality of himself. Which would be worse? He has a bird nose, he can fly, and hes loved by everyone. It only takes a minute to sign up. Hes dead. Again, details of his exact cause of death were sparse, but some reports claimed the sad death was due to a self-inflicted gunshot The difference being that the Depp ending focuses almost entirely on the Hollywood aspect of things. I think possibly he died after jumping out of the window but as the writers stated in the Huffington Post Q and A quoted above, the ending was written in a way to not detract from the central questions of the film. They have to be, because in a way That's what you always do. That the Birdman figment and voice are fun, cinematic ways of showing his inner struggle with being defined as Birdman and wanting to move beyond that identity. He soars. He was going to show Tabitha how far he was willing to go for his art, and prove to her that he was capable of more than just "cartoons and pornography." She isnt someone in the industry. With that in mind, lets go back to the hospital. You're doing a play based on a book that was written sixtyyears ago, for a thousand rich old white people whose only real concern is gonna be where they go to have their cake and coffee when it's over - and let's face it, Dad, it's not for the sake of art. Our discussion is going to be full of SPOILERSfor Birdman, soREAD NO FURTHER unless youre all caught up. I wouldnt dream of it.R: Look, Im trying to do something thats importantS: This is not important.R: Its important to me! Or you can continue to make original work that speaks to people and means something, box office be damned. The first time is when he shoots himself in the head onstage. The meta stuff is important to Birdman, as the story operates on a symbolic level as much as it does a purely narrative level. In this take, Riggan survives his on-stage gunshot wound (intentionally or unintentionally) and lives to see the fruit of his labor - he conquered his skeptics and earned the love of his family. The voice in his head is Birdmans. This makes sense, as everything after that is perfect - he gets a rave review for his performance, a standing ovation and a heart-warming moment with Sam. Youre not important! Its this sense that hes special and he can see it, why cant everyone else. Riggan dies twice in the movie. The first time is when he shoots himself in the head onstage. He really dies, as is evidenced by the jump cuts an I'm trying to do something important. He was born into a wealthy family but experienced humiliation when he was not made a military officer. One especially popular theory asserts that, in spite of what is shown in the closing moments of the film (specifically: the hospital bed reunion scene), Riggan does not survive hison-stagesuicide attempt. The ending I believe is symbolic of the acceptance of both parts of himself by his daughter, who could very well symbolize anyone close to him.