The Killing Joke
Arther Fleck started a joke, which started the whole world crying
I think Joker might be my favorite movie of all time. Aside from the extreme levels of anxiety it triggered in my chest for all of its three hours run time, I haven’t felt that satisfied by a film in a long time.
Joaquin Phoenix’s almost unrecognizable performance was as unnerving and deeply unsettling as it was visceral and moving. There were scenes where I wanted to reach through the screen and just give the man a hug ffs. But it’s the underlying themes of Joker that, for me, were most interesting.
This iteration of iconic Batman villain, The Joker, is clearly the result of a society that has become far too comfortable with its everyday cruelties and absolute lack of empathy at a societal and economic level, and, although the film is set in the 80's (for logistical reasons as much as chronological, I assume) the story is clearly holding up a grimy mirror to current times and the socio-economic pitfalls that are inherent to the world in 2019.
Joker is a declaration and acknowledgment of society’s collective disregard for, and indifference to, the well-being of its marginalized, mentally ill and impoverished citizens.
But Joker is simultaneously about the endless search for real human connection — something Arthur never quite manages to lock down, tragically… or comedically? At this point, I don’t even know the difference between the two.
Regarding the controversy surrounding Joker, the film seems to implore viewers to sympathize with Arthur Fleck’s plight, yes, but it doesn’t once ask us to forgive him for his exponentially evil actions and behaviors. MANY uneasy comparisons can (and have already) been drawn from Arthur’s descent into total insanity and violence, but the film, and by proxy, the audience still knows he’s a deranged man and is not to be romanticized — only understood as a product of his environment.
Joker is not made out to be a hero or martyr to anyone but himself and his own delusions, and the skillful acting and directing amplify this notion. Arthur’s chronic laughing condition appears as if it physically pains him when it happens as opposed to being some kinda quirky character trait; Arthur isn’t physically attractive (like Heath Ledger’s or Jack Nicholson or Jared Leto’s Joker) but is instead visibly malnourished and rake thin; viewers can see the pain of years of neglect and abuse in the lines on Fleck’s haunted face.
In fact, the only time Arthur begins to resemble normal or healthy is once he begins his manic transformation into becoming Joker.
Anyway, this movie DEMANDS multiple watches because as a story told from the viewpoint of one of contemporary fiction’s most unreliable narrators, you the viewer is — at any given point — uncertain as to whether or not what you’re watching is real or a figment of Arthur’s fragmented imagination.
And that’s what makes the movie both faithful to the traditional idea of the Joker’s multiple-choice origins and also just fucking GOOD. Even without its comic book ties, Joker stands strong as an engrossing and deeply moving character study.
I can’t recommend this movie enough. It’s a masterpiece.
