Is Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman made up of a single long take shot?

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

When the trailer dropped for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s BIRDMAN, many of us were excited to see the starring return of the great Michael Keaton alongside a phenomenal cast that includes Emma Stone, Edward Norton, and Naomi Watts. Iñárritu himself is a phenomenal director from the same circle of friends that includes Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo Del Toro. As each of the filmmakers release new projects, they almost seem to one up each other in terms of technical achievements. With Cuaron having provided a breathtaking experience with GRAVITY, what could Iñárritu have up his sleeve?

IndieWire has assembled various sources, one of whom is Alfonso Cuaron himself, that claim BIRDMAN may be constructed as a single long take, much like Alfred Hitchcock’s ROPE. Now, for a feature length long take there are assuredly hidden edits within the film to make it achievable, but there is also no official proof that BIRDMAN will be constructed this one. One source who claims to have seen the film says there is a 40 minute single take shot in the movie.

Whatever the case may be, the trailer for BIRDMAN does open with a long take, or a segment of one. If you rewatch it below, you could see how there is a possibility the whole film is edited this way. If this turns out to be true, I am now more excited for the film than ever.

BIRDMAN opens October 17, 2014.