Why do we need more Anti-heroes like Joker?
“I hope my death makes more cents than my life.”
Ever since its release in October 4 in the United States, within two months, the film Joker has already generated over 1 billion dollar in box office, hits the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2019. Among the top 10 films released in 2019 by worldwide gross revenue, Joker is the only film that features an anti-hero, the other most popular ones including Avengers, the Lion King, Spider-Man, Fast&Furious franchise — the traditional hero movies. Disney features another three animated hero/heroine movies and Captain Marvel. The last on the list is the film Na Zha, which is also an animated story about the Chinese mythical hero, who saved his hometown against evil power.
For thousands years, we loved hearing hero stories, from Iliad to Aeneid, from Spider-Man to Captain America. We loved seeing the heroes go through various quest and trials, and finally reach their full potentials and be the role models for generations to come. The hero stories bring out the best of humanity, courage, hope, righteousness and love. But the film Joker was almost against all of these values that we appreciated as “politically correct.” The protagonist Arthur Fleck is mentally ill, impoverished and disregarded by society. He ends up becoming a nihilistic criminal that kills several people and creates a social unrest. But how an unconventional film hit so popular world widely? It started out as an experimental production but ended up a concrete and brutal reflection of our own world.
Similar to the hero stories, Arthur has an anti-hero journey that leads him to become a complete sociopath. The film takes us back to the Gotham City in 1980s, when work was scarce, rats were rampant and a garbage strike fouled the streets. Arthur works in a clown-for-hire company, and lives with his mother, Penny. He has a mental disorder that causes him to laugh at inappropriate times, and depends on social services for medication. From the beginning of the film, we can see his despair as a social outcast in an equally depressed economical-political environment. There was the “call to destruction” but he refused the call. He is still trying to live the best his can. Put on his clown mask, and force himself to laugh despite that tears drop down; chase the teenagers for a paperboard to keep his job; take care of his mom as much as he can. No matter how much bullying and mockery have done to him, Arthur is trying to fit into the society. He tries to make the boy laugh on the bus, but is only scolded by the mother to leave them alone. Still, he always remembers what his mom has taught him, to put on a happy face and make the world laugh.
Arthur starts seeing his neighbour Sophie, who he has a crush on. But then he loses his job while entertaining at a children’s hospital, because his gun falls out of his pocket. His colleague Randall lies that Arthur bought the gun himself, but in fact it was Randall who gave hime the gun. Just after he was fired, the three drunken Wayne Enterprises businessman on the metro start to mock and beat him. There, Arthur “crossed the threshold,” he couldn’t take it anymore. He shouts two of them out of self-defence but executes the last one. Arthur is very frighten after committing his crime, but to his surprise, his clown makeup saved him from being identified. And protesters against Gotham’ rich start to take his side and call him a hero. He gets back some confidence and goes on performing stand-ups. But once he gets on the stage, he laughs uncontrollably and has difficulty delivering his jokes. His idol, talk show host Murray Franklin, mocks Arthur by showing clips from the routine on his show. But it is Thomas Wayne who pushes Arthur to the “abyss.” Arthur learned from her mother’s letter that he is Thomas Wayne’s, the richest man in Gotham, illegitimate son. He tries to confront Thomas, but Thomas believes that he just wants money, also tell Arthur that his mother, Penny is delusional and not his biological mother. After he got Penny’s record from the state hospital, Arthur was “transformed.” The awkward but kind-hearted Arthur was completely gone. There is no one he can trust in the world, not even his mother. The two father figures, Murray and Thomas also failed him, they offered no encouragement but just mockery and despise, like everyone else.
The “apotheosis” is when he goes on to Murray’s talk show. He has already killed his mother Penny, and his colleague Randall. He knows that the police is after him. But on the show day, he dresses himself up with his clown make-up and suits. On the stage, Arthur walks out to applause, but tells morbid jokes, admits he killed the men on the train, and rants about how society abandons the disenfranchised. Then he fatally shoots Murray and is arrested. Rioters in an ambulance crash into the police car carrying Arthur and free him. The whole city seems to fall into complete chaos and evilness. Arthurs “returns” to the everyday world. At Arkham, he laughs to himself about a joke and tells his psychiatrist she would not understand it. Arthurs goes back to where he belongs, the hospital, but he realises that people, rich or poor, just wouldn’t care for the others, especially a minority like him.
“The worst part of having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don’t.”
Thus, the film unfolds Arthur’s journey as a helpless minority to a complete destruction following a similar path with hero’s quest. The film could be darker if we take a closer look. Is Arthur really dating Sophie? Has he really in the Murray’s talk show before? Or are those little stories only Arthur’s illusion? Maybe in reality, no one has ever shown any kindness to Arthur. Maybe Arthur was Thomas’s son, and Thomas just forged Penny’s record to cover their story. But Arthur was not born as a killer. There are so many chances that the society and people around him can change the brutal ending. What if his colleagues can show real sympathy and support? What if his neighbour Sophie can take a real interest in him? What if Thomas Wayne, as a mayor and billionaire, can help he get a job? What if government doesn’t cut the social works and medication? What if the mom on the bus could just be nice?
The film was accused of seditious because it sounds too familiar with our real world. We see these conflicts everyday in the Trump supporters, in the Gilets Jaunes, in protestors around the world. The film is just a brutal reflection of millions of minorities, living in an indifferent capitalistic world. It’s not advocating for violence, but it’s a cautionary-tale. Our reality is becoming the Gotham city, with polarised politicians, the rich despise the poor, and the poor hate for the rich. The opposition party would never understand each other, because they simply don’t care for the other. The film was more of an exploration than validation, it takes us through Joker’s journey from a marginalised person to a criminal. Along its road, we can see his struggles and fears. And we learn that a society’s ignorance of those who are less fortunate will create a person like the Joker.
We need more of the “loser” films that are challenging but at the same time educational. We live in a world where everyone wants to be the super hero, only success, fame, popularity are socially accepted goals to pursue. But we are not born with equal chances, people like jokers, they probably never had a chance to make it in life, no matter how hard they try. And if we don’t tag them with “loser” names and believe they deserve what they get, don’t bully and despise them, but instead, show a little warmth of humanity, a lot of tragedies could be saved. The film is not letting the haters hate, nor validating the crimes committed, but a question mark imposed on us. Why does this happen? And what could have we done?
