There is no punchline. It’s not a joke. […] I’ve got nothing left to lose. Nothing can hurt me anymore. My life is nothing but a comedy.
No other movie is dividing the audience more than Joker at the moment. Some say it is horrible and had to leave the screening, others praise the movie and Joaquin Phoenix for his acting and believe he will be receiving an Academy Award next year.
For those who hope to see a new DC story, it will disappoint you. According to the director, the movie has nothing to do with its origins. Yet, you will recognise some nods to it, such as the movie taking place in Gotham and the mention of the Wayne family. I think it is pretty obvious that this movie is not one you will go see because you want to have a good time. Joker is intense and some scenes are not easy to watch, but the message is clear. We live in a toxic society, which does not treat us kindly.
“All of you, the system that knows so much, you decide what’s right or wrong. The same way that you decide what’s funny or not.“
We follow Arthur Fleck who works as a clown for hire – spinning shields in front of stores or entertaining sick children at a hospital. Afterwards, he takes care of his sick mother, while coping with a mental illness himself and you truly begin to feel sorry for him.
Arthur is an introvert and shy, but still has the dream to become a stand-up comedian one day. When he finally gets the chance to try out some of his jokes, his nervousness causes him to laugh uncontrollably, which happens when he feels uncomfortable. Someone from the audience is recording it and this gets recognised by Murray Franklin, a late-night show host and Arthur’s hero, who invites him into his show. If being constantly laughed at isn’t enough, people are treating him badly. People label him as a crazy person which leads him to become lonely and isolated. After he is beaten twice, he slowly starts to change, and the Joker sees the light of day.
“Everybody is awful these days. It’s enough to make anyone crazy. […] If it was me dying on the sidewalk, you’d walk right over me. I pass you everyday and you don’t notice me!“
Taking the Joker as a well-known character aside, you witness a person who is severely sick and does not get the help he needs. At first, he has regular sessions with a government funded therapist, but the budget gets cut and the city has to close the place, which does not make any difference, because that woman did not help Arthur at all and does not seem to care about his wellbeing. Not to mention where he should get his medication from now on. It is never said which kind of mental illness Arthur is suffering from, it’s clear it’s serious and the combination of not having a stable environment, a mother who is sick herself, and no real friends affects him further.
Over the course of the movie, Arthur goes through one traumatic event after another, which begins a domino effect and ends in catastrophe, to finally the birth of his new self, Joker.
“Have you seen what it’s like out there, Murray? […] Everybody just yells and screams at each other. Nobody’s civil anymore! Nobody thinks what it’s like to be the other guy.“
There is a saying that goes: “As kids we loved the heroes, as adults we understand the villains.” Looking at this new version of Joker and showing how he became that way, I completely agree. We live in a world in which everything has to be done fast and better and oh no if something or someone is not up to that speed… People tend to think about themselves and judge everyone based on what they appear to be or what they share causing our society to be full of prejudices and lacking empathy.
Robin William once said “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” Mental health is important and as much of a sickness as breaking a bone in your body. Others may not see it, but that does not mean that someone is not fighting a war within.
Personally, I have pictured a more villainous movie with a freaked-out Joker. The DC references came as a surprise to me and a potential sequel, which can take place 10 or 20 years later with a connection to Bruce Wayne could be possible, but I doubt it. However, who knows what Warner Brothers plans now after the movie’s big success at the box office.
What touched me was to see what loneliness, social isolation, and bias combined with a mental illness can do to a person’s life or vice versa. It really gives you something to think about. So, the message of this movie is not to see a psychopath in the making which we know from several other movies, but more about the circumstances which made him that way. Circumstances which could have been avoided and prevented if just one person would just had cared enough.
Did the audience understand that message? Judging from those people who have been in my screening, I can only hope that enough have, because not everyone does.
