Movie review - Joker (2019)

Those who do not know the character of the Joker must have been born in a cave. The character of Joker permeates pop culture equally with Superman, Coca-Cola, and Darth Vader. He appeared in dozens of comics, cartoons, series, computer games, and movies. Amazingly, yet another incarnation of Joker impresses with its originality, thanks to the movie’s director Todd Phillips.

Let's start by writing a few words about the director of this production. When I heard the announcement that the "Joker" movie will be made by Todd Phillips, I had some doubts whether this task was given to the right person. Phillips was known to me for creating "The Hangover," which, let's be honest, is neither ambitious nor outstanding. Meanwhile, "Joker" was not supposed to be a comedy, but a harbinger of a new parallel universe devoted to villains - "DC Black". Fortunately, my fears turned out to be baseless.

The main character in the film is Arthur Fleck - a person who struggles with mental health problems, manifested by attacks of laughter that cannot be controlled and depressive or at least dark thoughts. Arthur aspires to become a comedian. Comedy helps him to deal with his illness and provides a springboard from the difficult reality in which he has to take care of his sick mother. However, he is not successful - stigmatized because of his condition, always excluded, he slowly falls into madness.

This story is original for many reasons. In the beginning, the villain is a real person, we are introduced to his story the moment before he chose the criminal path. We begin to understand his motives, and maybe even sympathize with him. After all, Arthur was a good, protective man - it was the world that made him a monster. Rejection, trauma, suffering, and a complete lack of understanding must have resulted in the transformation we observe.

The viewer receives an answer to a question that many may have asked before - why did the Joker become the Joker? Interestingly, this was left unanswered in any work before, not even in the DC Universum comics. And it was possible only due to the lead role of Joaquin Phoenix. Needless to say, the actor did a great job - he played the Joker perfectly. You could even risk saying that Joaquin didn't play the Joker, he WAS the Joker. In the beginning, he made viewers feel the pain, by presenting the life of excluded man. Laugher - usually a natural sign of happiness, for him was a curse. He laughs at the most unexpected moments and cannot control himself, crying at the same time. Despite being profoundly unhappy, Arthur sacrifices his life to make others happy but gains no respect or understanding for it.

When an actor plays the Joker - Arthur after a mad transformation, he becomes a complete contradiction to what he presented before - he is brutal, unpredictable, self-centered. Bursts of laughter, previously embarrassing, are encouraged now. They are staples of a new character.

It is worth acknowledging two other actors who created memorable supporting roles: Zazie Beetz as a nice neighbor and Robert De Niro as a host of a talk show.

Moreover, the creation of Gotham City deserves the highest compliments. The gloominess and darkness of the city reflect the depressive states of the main character. This effect was achieved thanks to the outstanding photography, subdued, dark colors, and thrilling soundtrack.

Joker is not pure entertainment cinema. It is a deep movie that will leave a conscious viewer with many questions about the human psyche, society, the way we treat all differences, or about the unjustified stigma of people with mental illnesses, present in societies from the west to the east. There is also an allusion to the situation in the United States - we have an open criticism of the government, the health service, which, even though the USA is a highly developed country, resembles that of the poorest countries through privatization, and which additionally excludes people with mental disorders.

The movie is excellent and worth recommending. In addition to considering it as an element of the comic book universe, it is worth looking at it as an individual work, touching on important topics, bringing a new perspective on some aspects. For me, it is a work that defends the excluded and marginalized. The cry of the aggrieved, who strongly and brutally oppose the torturer. A scream that is undoubtedly morally evil (no one reading this post certainly supports the murders), and yet that can arouse partial understanding and lead to a situation in which the viewer sympathizes with Joker. Such a powerful emotional dissonance testifies to "Joker" as a masterpiece.

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Thank you for reading,
@papi.mati