WHY IS ‘JOKER’ (2019) A MUST-WATCH FOR PSYCH-ENTHUSIASTS?
This supervillain of the batman comics has a worldwide fan following like no other villains or even some superheroes (Aquaman 😁 ) in comics or movies. I was initially frustrated with the announcement that a Joker origin story would be released soon. Heath Ledger did such a phenomenal job with his portrayal of the character, that it was impossible to replace the title with another face. But then Joaquin Phoenix entered the scene, and I was a bit relieved. After a couple of months, the trailer dropped, and I was electrified. The first thing that I said after watching the trailer clip was “He’s gonna win an Oscar for this”. That’s how convincing he was. And that’s how good I was with my predictions 😎.
‘Joker in a single word is a ‘masterpiece’. Everything about the movie is great in its own right- from the Oscar-winning performance of Joaquin Phoenix to the brilliant directorial decisions by Todd Philips. Like any other great film, the movie leaves a lot of room for interpretations- it is certainly not a black and white movie. And this quality of the film is, what I think, makes it an engaging educational tool for budding psychologists. Sure, anyone with a fondness for good cinema can enjoy Joker, but if you make an effort to keep track of the subtle elements planted throughout the film that is more or less connected to mental health, you would appreciate the brilliance of this artwork at least ten folds more.
I won’t get into diagnosing the character with psychopathy or schizoaffective disorder- primarily because I’m not qualified to do it and because this character should be understood without the labels of a mental illness. The whole tone of the movie suggests duality or contrasts. This 2-hour movie starts with a news report on the declining economy of Gotham city simultaneously showing Arthur Fleck stretching his face to ‘put on a smile’. Even though the movie is one of the most depressing films to have come out in the year, every music played in the film (except the main BGM) is upbeat. When the protagonist is shown ascending stairs, he is gloomy, depressed and not really himself, whereas when he is shown descending the same stairs he is either happy, at peace, or free from any pretensions, when most others would have done it the other way around. His loving mom, although she believes him to be a ‘sad boy’ (Letter to Thomas Wayne), calls him ‘happy’. Arthur can’t control his laughter when he is nervous or troubled. The list is endless- If you can switch off your hearts while watching the movie (which is impossible if you’re watching it for the first time) and let your brain process everything on the screen, you’ll certainly be able to find a lot more of these contrasts. These contrasts represent the mental status of Arthur- undecided, confused, not sure where he fits in.
There are a butt load of different psychological symptoms exhibited by the character- ranging from visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations, and major depressive symptoms to lack of empathy, shattered self-esteem, and low emotional intelligence. You can sit through the whole movie trying to decode his personality or diagnose a definite mental disorder, and still come out with nothing clear cut but ‘complicated’. So, I won’t ruin that experience for you and go down the lane of his psychological states shown at different phases in the movie. Rather I’ll try and offer you just enough to get you to watch the movie one more time.
Well now, what are the reasons for his clearly ‘odd’ behaviours? Again, there can be a lot of reasons that would make sense to you. One of the most prominent explanations would be in association with his childhood experience; how he was abused by his stepfather and devoid of any motherly love. When asked about this, young Penny Flakes comes up with the excuse “but he never cried”. Probably he was conditioned to ‘put on a smile’ and repress his negative thoughts and emotions, piling up and exploding at a later stage. His so-called ‘neurological condition’ of laughter tics could have its roots here as well. Further readings, I assure you, will lead you down a rabbit hole of different theories on this- both from well-respected academicians and hardcore joker fans with no knowledge whatsoever of the field of psychology. And I certainly would encourage you to embark on this journey.
The worst part about having a mental illness is that people expect you to pretend as if you don’t. — Arthur Fleck
This dialogue is what struck me the most in the movie. Especially in a context, where social media exchanges are synonymous with social interactions, this carries a very important message. People often expect us to hide away our ‘abnormalities’. I don’t mean to say that if you have an unquenchable thirst for human blood, you should certainly stab a man to death and drink his blood. But rather ‘normality’ should not be defined in terms of conventions or traditions. Joker is a bold attempt at bringing a villain to the centre of our attention- the movie doesn’t glorify or even defend the violent and evil decisions that the protagonist makes, but it showcases the various reasons that led him into this path. This makes us empathize with the character, and there is nothing wrong with it. As the character himself rightfully puts it — “the society today is lacking empathy”. The truth of the matter is that most of the ‘monsters’ roaming around the society are created by the society itself. And the only right way to eradicate these monsters is to treat the cause.
If you are a cinephile and at the same time someone who loves psychology, stop everything you're doing and watch this film, Or else, you will be missing out on a fantastic cinematic experience! 🃏
