Birdman and No Face

After the reading "No Face," I was struck the parrells between it and Birdman, a recent film by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Birdman follows the story of an actor past his prime trying to create a Broadway adaptation of a short story amidst various mishaps. The actor, Riggan Thomson, rose to fame playing Birdman, a superhero and thinly-veiled analogue to Batman, and since rejecting a reprisal of that role, has lost most of that fame. 

In "No Face," we follow Ysrael, a child that has been rejected by his community in much the same way that Riggan has been rejected from his. Ysrael, as a result of his physical disfigurement, wears a mask that marks him as different, while Riggan is rejected because he has faded from the spotlight, although he confronts the realities of his physical appearance, graying and aging, as well. The struggle to find identity is a central theme in both "No Face" and "Birdman," and although I won't leave any spoilers, both stories leave the question less than resolved.

In the very starting passages of "No Face" and the first few minutes of "Birdman," we find another parallel: they both have fantastical powers that may or may not exist. We see Ysrael, shouting "FLIGHT" and soaring above the trees, the metaphorical camera of narration following him, and we see Riggan, calmly levitating in his room with nothing but his underwear. Is any of it real? In "No Face" we get details from the narration that imply Ysrael could only have seen the things he had if he had actually flown, and the special effects show Riggan as actually having those powers. And yet, there are clues in both works that suggest the powers aren't real. When Ysrael uses the power of "INVISIBILITY" and sneaks among the people of the city, he is discovered anyway, and Riggan bears physical marks of injury on his hands after the camera has just displayed him throwing things around with telekinesis.

Regardless of whether they are actually real, superpowers are a strong conduit for emotional stress for both of these characters. Ysrael, disfigured and made to think himself worthless by the other boys, uses his powers to return agency to himself; they allow him to think he has some kind of control over his life. Riggan uses his in much the same way, although he doesn't cast himself into the role of a superhero, who goes around saving people and cats like Ysrael does, but rather a retired hero that has retained his powers. Ysrael uses his powers to compensate for his shortcomings, while Riggan's powers are an extension of his frustrations.

The surreal effect created by each of these works is entirely memorable, and even more impressive is that symbolism of the powers hold regardless of whether they are real or not real. To close, I would recommend watching Birdman if you haven't already. It is well-done and has some great music.