One theme which I think is pretty central to the story is what I would call The Divided Self. Riggan is the personification of Disunity: * He walked away from easy, moneymaking roles in superhero movies in order to pursue what he thinks is a deeper call, Art vs. Commerce. And yet at the beginning of the story, he finds himself in No Man's Land, neither a successful artist and now no longer a viable commercial entity. * He is emotionally separated from his ex-wife, his daughter, and is carrying on a relationship with Laura that holds little meaning for him. With all the things going on in his chaotic life, the possibility that Laura may be pregnant with his child barely registers in his consciousness. * Once he had a lot of money, now he's gambling virtually every asset he has on a crazed scheme: A Broadway play. * Then there is his relationship with Birdman who he can hear and probably see, while no one else can. Even that moniker suggests disunity: Bird / Man. But if I had to point to the one most fundamental Divided Self dynamic working within Riggan's psyche it would be this: What he wants... and what he needs. He WANTS his play to be a success so he can make a name for himself as an Artist. But that's not what he needs. In those quiet moments with his ex-wife where he confesses he has once tried to commit suicide... in those rancorous moments with his daughter where she reads him the riot act (one of the most riveting scenes in the script)... and that final moment between father and daughter [111]:

A moment between them. Sam picks up the flowers and kisses him tenderly on the head. Riggan is pleasantly surprised by that kiss. SAM (CONT’D) Now, I’m going to find something to put these flowers in. She heads out of the room. Riggan lies there for a moment, tranquil.

He needs an authentic connection with his family. Something genuine and human in contrast to some fear and regret-based desperate desire to be acclaimed by others as an Artist. I wonder if the other part of the title -- "The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance" -- somehow ties into this theme. Or maybe not. Ignorant. Of what? Why is it a virtue? Why is it unexpected? Could it mean that Riggan's ignorance of his own Need -- authentic connection with family -- is something he could only come to know by going through the journey he does, and therefore, his crazed meanderings led him to finally become aware of what he needed? As I think about it, viewed from this perspective, Riggan's journey is somewhat like Dorothy's in The Wizard of Oz. Riggan needed to find a place / people he could call home. He enters this strange, fantastical world -- Broadway play -- and through his adventures ends up finding a 'home' -- Sylvia / Sam. Hm. Maybe. What themes do you see at work in Birdman?

I saw it much like the way you did, Scott. Being emotionally vulnerable to the people who mean something to you was a theme prevalent for all the characters, I think. Mike: his problem is that he is unfiltered within the walls of the theater and he can't have an honest relationship with Leslie outside in the real world. He exposes himself to Larry and Sam, who are complete strangers; his line to Sam, something like: you can't be self conscious in the theatre; method actor to the hilt; can only get an erection when in front of the audience, and he wants to have sex during the play so it's more real, etc. It's only when he starts the truth and dare game with Sam does he make a meaningful connection with her, revealing his insecurities. Sam: She has no connection to her father. She's hanging off the ledge, numbing herself with drugs and a persona that screams I don't care about anything. Later, Mike sums it up: MIKE: About your being special. You’re hanging around here trying to make yourself invisible behind that fragile little fuck up routine. But you can’t. You’re anything but invisible. You’re big. And you’re sort of this really great mess, a candle burning at both ends, and no amount of booze or pills is gonna hide that. Laura: her relationship with with Riggan is only sexual, even though she wishes it was more than that. By telling Riggan that she's pregnant (that was a lie, right?), she hopes it take the relationship to a more intimate level. Nope. Riggan even responds with the stupid cliche, "it's mine, right?" Not exactly what she was hoping for. And then when Riggan comes in to comfort Leslie, Laura is a bit hurt because Riggan never once acted in that manner for her. It's when Leslie then tries to comfort her, do they kiss. Ralph: Mr. publicity. Even when he sees his best friend have a psychotic breakdown, he tries to keep him in check with lies that prominent people will be in attendance. At the end, when Riggan is in the hospital, he's more excited by the news of the positive reviews than he is of Riggan being alive. He does, however, chase out the media, so I'm not sure if that's irony or a demonstration that he's looking out for his best friend. Not sure about this one. Leslie: The last time I flew here from LA, George Clooney was sitting two seats in front of me. With those cuff links, and that... chin. We ended up flying through this really bad storm. The plane started to rattle and shake, and everyone on board was crying... and praying. And I just sat there-- Sat there thinking that when Sam opened that paper it was going to be Clooney's face on the front page. Not mine. (A beat.) Did you know that Farrah Fawcett died on the same day as Michael Jackson? She smiles sadly. She kisses him on the head and goes to the door. I saw this as Riggan not able to express his feelings for Sam and her. In the movie, Michale Keaton plays the beat with embarrassment, and then washes it over with the MJ line. Leslie can only feel bad for him, but knows deep down he does care for them. But later at the climax, Riggan is at total peace with himself. And he's able to admit his darkest secret to his wife, and then he says: I love you. And I love Sam. Dickinson: the critic. Self-explanatory. External validation: viral, cgi, celebrity, being famous for being famous (they don't care about Riggan, they care about Birdman), twitter Theater v. Superhero movie: One take and bearing your emotions to a live audience v. hiding behind a mask and cgi. I'm not sure about the Birdman alter ego and the hospital scene. Is that related to Icarus somehow? Anyways, I enjoyed it and will have to watch/read the script again to see if I missed that. And thanks for the breakdown, Doc.

Here is my take on "The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance". It is explained and owned by Dickinson. It's the title of her review that was so feared by Riggan before she ever wrote it. And it explains Riggan's dichotomy. Dickinson defines Riggan as a personification of Hollywood:

"....I hate you. And everyone you represent. Entitled. Spoiled. Selfish. Children. Blissfully untrained, unversed and unprepared to even attempt real art. Handing each other awards for cartoons and pornography. Measuring your worth in weekends. Well, this is the theater, and you don't get to come in here and pretend you can write, direct and act in your own propaganda piece without going through me first.

She's telling him he is ignorant and she's thinking he doesn't even know it (he's an untrained child). Ignorance becomes a "virtue of ignorance", but it's only virtuous when she sees he is actually honest in his performance and direction of the play. Honesty is a virtue in acting. I think it is the thing that most divides Hollywood/film from theatre. The simplest thing can be honesty. It is possible to transcend both film and theatre as some great actors do. You might not expect that of an untrained, Hollywood comic book character player with no theatre background. Riggin's 'virtue of ignorance' is his 'innocence' (as a beginner on the stage), an unexpected innocence. I would add that the dichotomy between film and theatre is another strong recurring theme and mirrors Riggin's own inner conflict of Divided Self and Disunity (as you call it, Scott). As Mike also eludes to it:

Do you have any idea who walked these boards before you? Geraldine Page, Marlon Brando, Helen Hayes, Jason Robards... And now you. Riggan Thomson.

And again later:

....Your stage? This stage belonged to a lot of great actor's, pal. But you are not one of them.

Perhaps it is the explicit reflection of the implicit film/theatre disunity subtext that we also see personified in Riggan's conversations with the Hollywood Birdman. If Riggin were to embrace and understand Dickinson's meanings, he might come to terms with, and conquer his internal disunity. Perhaps her review was a letter to him. As an aside, the film/theatre theme is carried out in the execution of the film itself. We watch Birdman, a movie shot in the style of theatre, where actors play out scenes in one uncut take as they would on the stage. This is the greatest advantage of the fluid Steadicam, no-cut, no-coverage, continuous take style. I think it should be the norm and not the exception when actors are involved.

John, thanks for the interesting character breakdowns and insight. We don't get that very often. I find this quite valuable when you realize how complex and faceted these characters are. Can and do we do that when we write? Perhaps this could be another coverage area for this exercise.

Jon, I concur with Jon, thanks for those character breakdowns. Excellent work. Let me take a crack at character archetypes: Protagonist - Riggan Nemesis - Dickinson. While she is only in 3 scenes, I would argue she is the physicalization of that which torments Riggan: His desire to make a mark as an artist, that obsession driving him into all his decisions re the play and driving him away from people who matter most in his life. Dickinson is the gatekeeper who can make or break him, irrespective of the merits of Riggan's talent, so in effect she is a bit like a god. And so the opening night performance plays very much like a Final Struggle with Dickinson sitting right up front, a visible sign of opposition. Attractors - Sam, Sylvia. His family. Despite the fact Sylvia is his ex-wife, clearly she still has feelings for him and he for her. Some of the most honest and tender emotional moments in the story occur between Riggan and Sylvia. But I'd put Sam in the #1 Attractor slot as it is the Riggan-Sam relationship which provides the single most notable arc from beginning to end in terms of Riggan's emotional development. Mentor - Jake. He is perhaps the only friend Riggan has at this point (at least in terms of the characters in this story) and he provides a kind of grounded wisdom, a voice of reason based in the economic realities of putting on a play. Trickster - Mike. Ally. Enemy. Enemy. Ally. Provides all sorts of tests to Riggan, even to the point of sleeping with his daughter. So where does that leave Birdman? There is such negative energy emanating from Riggan's V.O. buddy, one is tempted to call him a Nemesis. Or perhaps a Trickster, I could make a good case for that seeing as Birdman's influence on Riggan often leads him into some erratic behavior. However I think Mentor fits Birdman best, albeit a Dark Mentor. Why Mentor? * He advises Riggan throughout the movie, providing a wisdom which Riggan might not want to hear, but is based in truth: Riggan is running away from an essential part of his Self. Moreover Birdman points out the stupidity of Riggan's obsession with making it as an Artist. * In Riggan's darkest hour, it is Birdman who walks with Riggan and helps Riggan recall that he DOES have power, he CAN have an impact. And while Birdman may not succeed in getting Riggan to reject the play and return to playing... well... Birdman... his energy renewed, Riggan does go on to give the performance of a lifetime. * Then there is the enigmatic ending which seems to suggest - at least from Sam's expression as she looks skyward - that Riggan ultimately embraces his inner Birdman and takes off in flight. Whether literal or metaphorical, Riggan does end the day on a high, rather than a low where his destiny seemed headed throughout most of the story. As I always note, character archetypes are tools, not rules. We can use them to analyze stories and craft stories. There is no right or wrong when it comes to how we use them or ascribe them to characters. The point is to learn what we can with them. How about you? Agree with my take on the character archetypes in Birdman? Thanks again, John.

Great analysis, Jon, and I think you nailed it re The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance angle. That quote from Dickinson, spot on, really speaks to the heart of this theme. Your points about the difference between theater and film, all great. Hadn't even occurred to me, yet now that you surface those points, it's completely and obviously at work in this story. Excellent work, Jon, thanks for that contribution. This series will make a nice addition to the archives and ongoing resources for writers.

All, It's taken some time for me to be able to circle back and give all of these comments the reading time they deserve. I'm so sorry about that. And, wow, what wonderful feedback it is. Thanks to each of you for chiming in so eloquently in discussing the themes of this wonderful film ... it is MUCH appreciated! ;-)