After the film won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, “Joker” has traveled through waves of praise and controversy. This past weekend, the film debut earned $96 million, making it the biggest October box-office weekend opening of all time. Some critics called it a “perfect representation of our times,” others laughed it off as a cruel joke. Many questioned the film’s politics as dangerous, so much so that some theaters increased security in case of possible shootings at screenings. 

As the dust settles on the filthy streets of Gotham, “Joker” lives up to the hype. From a mesmerizing performance from Joaquin Phoenix to troubling messages and stark images, “Joker” is a film that will leave you shaken days after leaving the theater.  

Set in the early 1980s, “Joker” centers around clown and comedian Arthur Fleck, who lives with his single, sickly mother. The comedian is going through rough times, trapped in a version of Gotham City stricken with poverty and violence. Fleck also has a medical condition that causes him to laugh uncontrollably out of pain, requiring him to see a psychiatrist to obtain medications. After his life starts to fall apart, Fleck seeks to alter his life in gruesome ways. 

 

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From start to finish, this film is elevated by Phoenix’s amazing turn in the lead role. Like all of his performances, Phoenix is fully committed to his character, and sells the horrors of his character. From the laugh that exudes fright and pain, to his unnerving stares and his staggered walk, Phoenix embodies Fleck with a cold and frightening presence that brings a new incarnation of the classic character to life.

Phoenix is not alone in creating this character. Director Todd Phillips creates a world where a twisted figure like Fleck can seemingly sprout out of nowhere. Fleck receives little attention from his community, and is constantly beaten and made fun of at work by his hero, late night host Murray Franklin, created by a fantastic performance by Robert De Niro.  

That being said, The Joker is no sympathetic baddie. It’s clear that everything he does is horrible, as Fleck almost finds pleasure in committing atrocities. The frightening part of this is that anyone can be the next Joker because horrible people like him are created by the society they inhabit, ironically mirroring the fears that many had coming into the film. 

And the world that Fleck inhabits is a bleak world. Gotham city is incredibly dirty, violent and fast-paced — a recipe for crime and inequality. The media also plays a major part in creating chaos, perpetuating class violence that only leads to angry, less-fortunate people acting on the media’s promises. The depiction of Gotham as a bleak version of New York City only furthers the film’s message, making the events appear even more real.  

As far as critiques, the one minor aspect of the film is the inclusion of Thomas Wayne, the father of the caped crusader. He plays a major role in the film as a rival to Fleck, with several appearances from other Batman characters. While Wayne does tie in with Fleck’s story, he feels out of place. The character feels like an attempt to connect Fleck to the comics more so than this story needed to, and the time spent on Wayne’s plot could have been spent elsewhere.  

That being said, “Joker” works so well because it continues DC’s recent streak of making unique films and creating individual worlds while trying to leave the viewers with something. As “Aquaman” excelled with a large-scale world and laughs, and “Shazam!” thrived as a smaller character piece centering around foster care children, “Joker” thrives as an individual twisted look at society’s dark patches. It is a slow-paced character study that creates a disturbing, twisted character. 

The film is frightening, not just because of the heinous actions committed, but because of the plausibility that a figure like The Joker is in our modern-day world. “Joker” is incredibly disturbing in all the best ways. 

Published on October 8, 2019 at 2:00 am

Contact Patrick: pagunn@syr.edu