In Alejandro González Iñárritu's mega-meta enterprise Birdman, a bolshy Michael Keaton – long since knocked off his A-list perch – plans his comeback by staging a Broadway play starring Edward Norton, the younger, hotter, more in-demand film star. The two egomaniacs scrap when the battle of egos boils over. It's hilarious, refreshing, and filmed to look like it was shot in one single take. It wasn't. However, it took incredible dedication from its actors as they were put to the test in timed 15-minute takes where they didn't have the luxury of fluffing their lines.

“I screwed it up, quite a few times,” Emma Stone tells MTV. “And I was just so sick to my stomach, waiting for them to do the scene, hearing how good this take was going to be and then coming in, and going around the corner too fast and ruining it.” The camera weaves in and out of rooms and stages, charting malicious dialogue full of sharp barbs aimed at the industry. Naomi Watts asks, "Why don't I have any self-respect?" to which Andrea Riseborough replies, "You're an actress, honey."

Earlier this week the film took six nominations for Independent Spirit Awards, and Keaton is slated as the frontrunner for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. Without getting OTT, you have got to see this.

Birdman is out in cinemas January 1