Joker (2019): A gritty portrayal of society that holds no punches
In cinema, we have always seen him as the man in the purple jacket whose face is hidden by a layer of white paint. He has always been an established crime figure and adversary to Batman or the G.C.P.D. With Todd Philip’s ‘Joker’ we get the first-ever cinematic origin story of the man who became Clown Prince of Crime.
Innocent, dark, disturbing, funny and at a few times and tough to watch this film is one that focuses on the man behind the idea of The Joker. We see the origins of the green hair and the face paint and we see the man behind it all. He is Arthur Fleck and his purpose in life according to his mother Penny Fleck (Frances Conroy) is to always smile and put on a happy face and bring joy and laughter into the world.
Joker brings to the big screen a man’s descent into insanity which stems from a society that is ignorant of the plight of those with issues. We get taken on a journey through a gritty Gotham and are presented with a story that isn’t afraid of touching upon sensitive subjects.
This film has a dark tone right from the start itself. It is created by the film’s cinematography and the haunting operatic background music emphasizes this point. Gotham city is in crisis and has been overrun by crime and garbage is all over the streets as though there is a strike by the city workers. Such scenes reminded me of Mr. Robot after the economy crashes and the illusion of safety and security vanishes.
“Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?”
Joaquin Phoenix plays the Clown Prince of Crime and comes close to if not betters Heath Ledger’s stupendous Oscar-Winning outing as the man who laughs. In the first shot, we see him in his clown get up with the paint on the left eye slightly smudged in a downward angle, which is the result of a tear. Left eye tears signify pain which is what this character goes through frequently for he thinks that his life is a tragedy.
I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it’s a comedy.
Fleck who works at a clown agency is jumped for a worthless store sign. His boss doesn’t believe that anyone would do such a thing, but looking at the mood created by the cinematographer Lawrence Sher and the set design one can buy into the fact of an unhinged society where certain people are the object of ridicule which causes alienation.
Joker skillfully weaved in a neurological disorder called pathological laughing and crying. (Yes such a disorder exists and has been defined as ‘Inappropriate involuntary laughing and crying due to a nervous system disorder.’) This is triggered only at moments of crucial importance in the film and not when he is sitting at home or painting his face white.
A detective calls it Arthur’s clown condition. This was a reflection of how mental illnesses are treated by people who aren’t affected by them. Another instance has Arthur’s colleague ask a short employee whether mini golf is regular golf for them. This is an apt representation of how people with certain conditions are bullied, as they think it is acting (in Arthur’s case). Which leads me to another line that appeared on screen in Joker’s quite puerile and tough to read scrawl.
The thing about mental illness is that people expect you to behave as though you don’t have them.
There is a scene where Arthur Fleck is making faces at a child whilst commuting on a bus in an attempt to entertain the child he gets reprimanded by the child’s mother for doing so which may come across as odd for us. This is due to cultural differences for in some countries smiling and waving at children is considered the norm and amusing whereas in some places it can lead to an arrest.
This is the first time we hear Phoenix’s version of The Joker’s cackle. This cackle is not naturally creepy like Heath Ledger’s was, but it borders on insanity which is exactly what this film aims to show us. Phoenix’s Joker laugh is the closest the comes to Mark Hamill’s which I would rate as the best Joker laugh.
When Fleck hands her a card detailing his condition she apologizes for chastising him. If only society was so accepting and accommodating of those who aren’t like us.
Bullied, isolated, ridiculed and cornered this man decides to fight back and we know why, for there is a reason, there always is one which serves as the catalyst. Fleck is frustrated by society and punches out of his place of employment in a graphic manner. He asks his therapists whether she even listens to a word he says for he is sick of hearing the same questions over and over again. As he realizes what society intends to him to be ( a regular member of it who just takes what is doled out, a person about whom no one cares ) he decides to fight back and make a statement and before doing so he would like to be introduced as Joker.
At no point does this film attempt to get us to sympathize with The Joker but does provide us with a view of how what may happen and what can happen if mental illness is treated as a condition of ridicule. It would do well to remember Heath Ledger’s, “As you know, madness is like gravity…all it takes is a little push.”
The trailer has the Joker break into jig atop whilst on the staircase at The Step Street — Anderson Ave & W 167th St, The Bronx. This staircase features prominently in the film at the start as Arthur Fleck ascends the staircase. Having seen it in the trailer we know it will be part of the film in a huge manner and we weren’t disappointed. Arthur Fleck’s descent into insanity following a brutal scene within his apartment is framed beautifully against the setting sun in the twilight. It is a cinematographic representation of the sun setting on Arthur Fleck and the rise of the dark character of the Joker which awakens as night falls. His dance seems beautiful and reminds me of the words; poetry in motion. It is just beautiful to watch and had the body language of someone who has broken free and triumphed.
This location has the potential to become as famous as iconic movie steps. Stuff like the Rocky steps and the Odessa steps come to mind. Could we possibly have a Joker steps join this? I’ve still got the lyrics of Frank Sinatra’s ‘Send in the clowns’ playing in my head as I remember this scene.
There is an overload of Joker in this piece, but that’s exactly what this film is. It doesn’t deviate to explore on side plots unrelated to the lead. The supporting cast of Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Marc Marron, and others have roles meaty enough to be called slightly extended cameos. This film has traces of The King of Comedy in it and seeing De Niro (lead actor in that film) being cast here in the opposite role to what he essayed in that film almost 37 years ago was just brilliant. This version of The Joker was a slight nod to Taxi Driver (also starring De Niro). Does the sight of haze emerging on the streets take you back to one of the initial frames of the 1976 film?
Joker will satisfy the Batman purists for it is rich in Batman lore. Many instances had me clasp my mouth in shock and awe. Joker did what the TV series Gotham was supposed to do. It gave us an origin story of a villain and serves as a magnificent setup to the DC Black- a series of stand-alone films.
This could be the series’ downfall too for the bar is set very high. But that’s for later, for now, let’s watch the mayhem of the clowns, the descent into anarchy and a performance which if there is a shred of justice in the world will surely secure at the very least a nomination for the lead actor at the Award Season. His transformation for this role was Christian Balesque and the odd angles of his bones jutting out of his body reminded me of The Machinist.
The views which I had been provided with whilst scrolling through social media comments showed me that this film had polarized audiences and critics alike. After watching it I don’t understand why people had anything bad to say about it. Are they the people who think everything is alright and had their glass houses shattered by this take on how society and its collective treatment of an individual can drive a human to insanity. Perhaps we’ve got an audience which has grown up on a staple diet of Marvel films and isn’t ready for this sort of reality.
For its grittiness, its portrayal of society and a story which holds no punches, punchlines that can knock you out and its mesmerizing score coupled with Joaquin Phoenix dominating our screens, I rate it:
4.5/5
