In theory, Joker should not be my kind of movie — it’s violent and it’s about a comic book character — yet, thanks to a riveting story and breathtaking performance by Joaquin Phoenix, it’s on my list for Best Picture of the Year.
Contrary to what you may think, Joker is not about a loner who goes on mass shooting sprees. It’s about a mentally ill young man, Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), who just wants to fit in. He works as a clown as he pursues a career in stand-up comedy. He doesn’t get violent until SOMEONE GIVES HIM A GUN to defend himself from the bullies who seem to be drawn to him.
Of course, the gun empowers him and, of course, he ends up using it. For better or worse, it’s not hard to understand why he takes that first shot.
Although this was a self-defense situation taken to an extreme, the media turns it into a click bait statement against the rich, provoking an Occupy Wall Street-like movement with protestors taking to the streets and donning clown masks in tribute to their hero.
Reveling in his new power — and the power of his gun — Arthur becomes even more emboldened. When his counselor tells him that the department is closing because of budget cuts and admits that the system doesn’t care about either him or her, he is desperate. He knows he needs help — and medication — but he can’t get it.
A victim of lies and cruelty, with what he perceives as “nothing to lose,” Arthur finds himself in survival mode. He doesn’t kill randomly. He only goes after people who have hurt him. Of course, none of this is justifiable but it’s easy to see how it happens.
I think the movie is actually really important because it shows our country’s dire need for affordable and accessible mental health services, gun control and a responsible press.
I can see why there was a controversy over Joker because, in some ways, Arthur is a sympathetic character who is merely the product of a broken system. There will be people who relate to his troubles but neither he or the movie encourages them to go on random shooting sprees.
You could hear a pin drop in the theater where I saw Joker, and you could feel the tension in the air. When a man got up in the middle of the movie and said, “Excuse me,” as he probably just had to step over other people to go to the restroom, half the audience jumped and quickly turned around. All of our senses were, sadly, heightened watching this movie, and I can guarantee you everyone had checked out where the nearest exit was as soon as they sat down. Thankfully, nothing has happened at any of the showings so far and, if this is something you’re worried about, you may want to stay home on October 15, which is a date Arthur mentions in one of the opening scenes.
Joker is very dark but it’s less violent than you expect and much more thought-provoking. Phoenix transforms this comic book character into a very real and heartbreaking human being, and I can pretty much guarantee he’ll make Arthur’s dream of being applauded onstage come true when the Oscars are given out next year.
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