Movie Endings Explained – Birdman (video)

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Movie endings, they’re usually pretty straight forward right? Everything pays off, the main characters learn something, and our heroes ride off into the sunset. Sometimes though, we don’t get the typical ending from a movie, we get something much more nuanced, complex and open ended. The kind of endings that leave things up in the air for all of us to debate and theorise on until we’re blue in the face. With Movie Endings Explained, we aim to delve into some of the more ambiguous and mysterious endings to films that have left audiences scratching their heads for years, and to attempt to explain them. In most cases, a definitive answer isn’t really there, so we definitely want to hear from YOU on how you interpret the various endings we’ll be discussing with this series.

This time we take a look at the 2014 critical smash hit BIRDMAN, which swept the awards season in 2015 and garnered acclaim in almost every aspect of its production, from the performances to the cinematography. Michael Keaton (BATMAN, BEETLEJUICE) stars as faded film star Riggan Thomson, who is trying to recapture fame and recognition by writing, directing and starring in his own Broadway play. Without spoiling anything, the film, which director Alejandro Iñárritu (THE REVENANT) injected with magic realism, ends on an incredibly ambiguous note. It’s the kind of ending that seemingly has no definitive explanation, but there are a ton of ways to interpret it, so let’s dig into it and see what meaning can be found!

What’s your theory on the ending of Birdman? Was it real, was it fantasy, or was it somewhere inbetween? Leave us your thoughts!