The 2014 film Birdman tells the story of a washed up actor struggling with defining his own identity after leaving Hollywood. After quitting his role as the superhero "Birdman", Riggan Thomson desperately attempts to put on a successful Broadway show, proving to critics he's more than just a cheesy action move star. He's insistent on doing something for himself, yet remains tormented by the expectations and judgement of others. Riggan is trying to become an "absurd hero", as Camus would say, by making the play a fully independent success, born only from his own labors and ideas. His unconventional methods and obsessive habits help make the show fully his own, but they also reveal the depth at which the public opinion influences him. While Riggan wants to do things on his own terms, he also has a immense desire to be successful in his creativity, something which he defines entirely by society's perception of his work.
Throughout the film Riggan is harassed by a hallucination of his character "Birdman" who often criticizes the play in an attempt to get another Birdman sequel made. The actor isn't at all shocked by these visions and their supernatural nature is of no importance to the plot. Instead they serve as a physical manifestation of the societal expectations that haunt Riggan. The creature desperately wants him to return to the franchise, revealing how the expectations and subsequent disappoint fans have in him weighs on his mind. The play's production is constantly on the verge of failure just as Riggan himself is constantly torn between what the media, fans, and critics want from his career and what he aspires to be as an individual.
Although the film's ending is up for interpretation and I won't completely spoil it, I believe it shows Riggan finally becoming his authentic self. He defies all convention on opening night and makes his play a huge success, yet chooses to give it all up afterwards. Sure he's finally won back the adoration of the public, but he no longer cares about them. By working past all the internal conflicts placed on him by society in order to make his play, Riggan has fully established himself as an individual.
I haven't seen the film, but the way you describe it makes it seem like there it was really influenced by existentialism. In fact, a lot of shows and movies I've watched I have recently realized also seem to have existentialist undertones. One of those shows, Neo Yokio, seems to be just another underthought nostalgia trip to 90's cartoons, but at the end of the show, the true protagonist is revealed to be the one person who manages to escape the system of social competitiveness and wealth stratification. Reading The Stranger has really shown me the prevalence of existentialism in media.
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