In this blog post, I will be analysing the film that was released this weekend. SPOILERS ahead. Although, it is pretty obvious that Arthur becomes the Joker at the end of the film, by the title alone.
Warning:
- The film is 15
- Rated: Strong bloody violence, and language.
What is the film about?:
Who: Story follows the character of Arthur Fleck, who becomes the Joker
What: Origin story of the iconic Arch-Nemesis of Batman
When: 1981
Where: Fictional city of Gotham
Beginning of the film:
Set in 1981, Arthur Fleck, a party clown, lives in Gotham City with his mother in a poor deprived area. Arthur suffers from a mental illness (mentioned in the previous post) and is seven different medications.
The whole film is an origin story about how Arthur becomes the Joker. I believe that Phoenix's performance is possibly Oscar-worthy.
Mental Illness:
Mental Illness is a huge part of this film. Arthur begins the film as a person struggling with his mental illness, he ends the film with his mental illness controlling his life and making him make decisions which aren't morally right.
He becomes the leader of the violence in the city - He becomes a SYMBOL for the deprived and poverty of Gotham.
In this film, it shows that mental illness is something that cannot be helped by the government, shutting down the facilities that Arthur needs - his counselling and meds.
This portrayal of Mental Illness is painfully honest. People have asked if this depiction of mental illness is "DANGEROUS"?
Becoming the Joker - We can see it coming? Can we? Arthur is a loner, he cannot engage with society, he isn't noticed and is consistently ignored and is misunderstood (the scene from the bus with the kid and the mum).
Significance of the Joker
The Joker is the "Clown Prince of Crime" and the iconic "Arch-nemesis" of the Batman.
In this particular adaptation of the character, we explore how he goes from being Arthur to Joker. This transformation is one which hasn't been explored before in a standalone film. I think it was clever of Phillips to do this without Batman (Bruce Wayne is in the film, but it is about twenty years or so before he becomes Batman). Having a film showing how Arthur becomes the Joker because of the way he is treated by society and in this case not being helped with his mental illness. Was Arthur always destined to become the Joker? I believe he was.
Society
Was it the society he lived in that made him into the monster of the Joker?
Gotham is uneasy at the start of the film. All the city needs is just one thing to flip it and bring chaos. This one thing is Arthur. Arthur kills the three rich men on the subway after they harass a woman and physically beat him. He ignites a fire which makes Gotham want to revolt. Arthur as Joker inspires the city and after he shoots and kills the TV host, the city goes into utter chaos, violence roaming free. Revolting against the rich, the poorest of the city, through the symbol of Arthur the KILLER CLOWN, turn on everything morally right and take up arms.
Batman
Batman isn't in this film because Bruce didn't become Batman until about twenty years after his parent's murders. The murders of his parents happen in the last five to ten minutes of the film.
Is Thomas Wayne partly responsible for the rise of the Joker? Is his dream of the 'Hope for a better tomorrow' realistic for Gotham? Were his murder and his wife's just for her pearls and money? Or was it an assassination?
Music/Score and Character
The music in this film along with Phoenix dancing helps to give us an insight into the character of Arthur.
Hildur Guðnadóttir - Composer for Joker.
Especially in the scenes where we see Arthur/Joker dancing - the score completes the character.
Bringing out the dark, distressing, broken and oppressed character to light.
Psychoanalysis
I learnt about Psychoanalysis in A Level Media Studies and learnt some more in some of Caitlin's lectures in Level 5 Cultures and Aesthetics. Also, I find the subject quite interesting and have done some further reading around it.
Looking at how it could affect the viewers...
Is it too gritty? It is too realistic? Is it too violent? Too dangerous?
My Rating:
Overall, I give the film a 4/5.
The reason it loses a star is due to the film being a SLOW-BURN. However, I agree why Phillips chose to do the film this way, explaining the why, how, when, and where Arthur becomes the Joker in intense detail.
Phoenix deserves to get nominated for the portrayal of the character.
He brought life to the character in a way we haven't seen before.
He also scared the living jeepers out of everyone in the cinema.
I can't wait to see what Phoenix is going to do next...
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