Joker focuses on Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix, a mentally ill man who takes care of his sick mother, played by Frances Conroy, while working as a party clown, all the while desiring to become a stand-up comic. He is beaten up by criminals, ridiculed by his co-workers, and soon has difficulty getting his medications to treat his neurological disorders when funding is cut for social services. As he tries holding himself together, he soon finds himself being pushed closer and closer to the edge of violence.
If anyone knows even the basics about Batman’s arch-nemesis, it’s the fact that in every iteration of the character, he is a homicidal maniac who enjoys anarchy. And this movie has generated quite a deal of controversy over fears that it may cause audiences to side with this character. The Joker, or at least the person who eventually becomes the Joker, is the central character of this story and his arc is the single driving force of this film. There isn’t anyone on the side of good around to battle it out with him.
And while the movie doesn’t ultimately ask audiences to side with Arthur Fleck, it’s certainly easy to feel bad for him. At least in the sense that, one can take note of how horrible his situation is and want him to be able to escape it. Because when the film introduces Arthur, he’s actually a pretty likable guy. He repeatedly states how he truly wants to bring laughter to the world. He wants to fit in with others, such as his neighbor Sophie, played by Zazie Beetz, and he has others who he looks up to and strives to be like, such as talk show host Murray Franklin, played by Robert De Niro.
So most of this movie is spent rooting for Arthur not to turn towards a path of violence. And even when he first does something horrible, it’s not easy for audiences to just immediately write him off. His arc is heavily reliant on how society repeatedly comes after him in the harshest way possible, and never gives him a legitimate chance. He attempts to handle things as best as he can but slowly finds himself slipping. But even as he continues to lose his grip, there are still hints of that good person seen at the beginning of the film, and that’s what allows audiences to feel bad for this character, even if they ultimately can’t root for him by the end of the movie.
A lot of what makes this arc so emotional is Joaquin Phoenix’s brilliant performance, which is the single greatest element about the film. This film is, more than anything, a character study, and Phoenix transforms one of the greatest super villains of all-time into a tragic figure. He awkwardly tries weaving his way through society, and there’s a pained expression on his face with each interaction. He’s seen attempting to laugh along with others, but he always laughs at the wrong time. He tries to impress others, but his reactions are always severely delayed. And he wants to get in sync with everyone else, but he just can’t, and he doesn’t fully understand why.
And what also makes Arthur’s story all the more tragic is just how reflective of his situation is in the real world. Treatment of the mentally ill is something that goes vastly overlooked, and elements presented here, such as funding getting cut, is a harsh reality that the world faces today. It’s easy to see someone like Arthur on the street and just write him off as weird, or not see him as a human being because one may not personally know him, and that individual may wind up not getting the help they need. So it’s easy to sympathize with this character for just how real he feels.
And even the world around him shares the same mindset of the world today. A lot of this film also deals with class divide, as Gotham City faces rising tensions between the rich and the poor. There’s a clear line drawn between the citizens of Gotham. The influence of the rich is heavily apparent here, and even though they’re clearly not great people, the media easily sways public opinion into siding with what they have to say, and portray them as upstanding members of society. Meanwhile, no real action is taken to fix Gotham, and others are getting fed up, and it’s reminiscent of the tensions felt in the real world. While the end result is a more extreme reaction to said tension, it does provide a good deal of social commentary in that regard.
The film is pretty heavy in terms of material, and while this film has nothing to do with the DC Extended Universe, it is a return to the dark, gritty feel that DC was criticized for in early DCEU films like Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice. It does have some moments of dark humor sprinkled throughout, mainly in ways in which Arthur awkwardly attempts to impress others, as well as one expert moment in the film’s final act. But for the most part, this is a pretty somber venture, especially supported by the film’s haunting soundtrack.
The film’s overall grittiness is also felt in the way in which this movie was filmed. Director Todd Phillips was heavily influenced by the work of Martin Scorsese when making this film, particularly Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, and it gives the film a raw energy that removes it a bit from its DC Comics origins. Shot on film, with a harsh, grainy color palette, the film feels less like a typical DC movie and more like a raw view of a broken city, in the style of a Scorsese movie. While the visual nods to Scorsese - including scenes almost directly lifted from Taxi Driver - can be a bit too on the nose sometimes that they can be distracting, overall the film is a nice homage to the legendary filmmaker and it does help set the film’s tone perfectly.
Because the movie rarely has a moment where it gives the audience time to breathe, it does bring this air of discomfort that may not make this an easy film to re-watch. It’s not exactly as depressing as, say, Dawn of Justice was, though it’s far from a feel-good movie. Though while there are plenty of movies that manipulate audience’s emotions by just throwing one depressing thing after another and really have little else to offer, what distinguishes this from said other movies is how Arthur’s character at first isn’t solely defined by those moments, and it’s how he reacts to them that keeps the audiences engaged and invested.
In terms of story structure, the only times where this movie doesn’t particularly work are a few key moments sprinkled throughout where the audience is required to suspend their disbelief just a bit too much. There are certain moments that seem a bit too coincidental or a bit too streamlined in order to get characters from Point A to Point B in a few important scenarios. While they aren’t ultimately detrimental to the film, they are noticeable enough.
There’s also some weak characterization in terms of Zazie Beetz’s character. Of all the main characters, it feels like she’s pushed to the side the most, and there are some questionable choices that at first don’t seem like they would logically make sense. While there does end up being a point to her character, and the arc in the end makes sense, the journey getting there could have just felt a bit more coherent. Despite that, Beetz does well with the material and her presence is welcome.
Joker is a brutal film that isn’t easy to revisit, but one that gives the Clown Prince of Crime a fitting origin story. It’s a tragic, emotional character study where audiences at first feel bad for this once likable person, and eventually have to remove themselves from that attachment as this character reaches the point of no return. Expertly shot, raising many thought-provoking questions, and led by an excellent performance by Joaquin Phoenix, this is DC’s finest achievement this year.
Recommendation: Watch It
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