Joker

I know I’m late to the party on this one. But better to be fashionably late than miss the boat completely.

Joker became something of a phenomenon, showing Todd Philips’s ability to direct in a totally new and unexpected way, and giving Joaquin Phoenix his first Oscar win after 4 nominations. It’s also the third iteration of the Joker character we’ve seen in a cinematic release – and what a wildly different and imaginative take this is.

Exploring the origin of the character, we meet him on the cusp of his Joker fame as Arthur Fleck, a man who only wants what we’re all after – to be treated amicably and with respect. He lives a quiet life with his mother whom he cares for in their run-down flat, and dreams of making make people laugh as a comedian which he does by working as a clown for hire. Because of a medical condition he sometimes laughs hysterically and uncontrollably, which becomes worse when he’s stressed or uncomfortable leading to those around him treating him with fear and hostility.

The film is set in the fictional city of Gotham where the divide between the lower and upper classes is enormous. It’s a city we’re used to seeing through the upper-class world of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. So the juxtaposition of the crime-ridden, graffiti-covered, rundown lower-class streets of Gotham is not only a refreshing change, but ensures we feel empathy for those living there and understand why by the end of the film they riot. Philips want us to sympathise with their plight through Fleck’s journey.  

Joaquin Phoenix is astonishing. We know from films such as Her and Walk the Line that he brings great emotional depth and connection to his characters – which is what’s needed for one so complex as Joker. Through Phoenix you feel sympathy for Fleck who’s isn’t given the support someone with his mental illness needs – nor the confidence from those closest to him to develop and grow into himself. So when he snaps, you feel it’s almost justified. Joker then is the embodiment of what happens to the most vulnerable part of Gotham’s society when its support is ripped away and they’re abandoned by those with the power to help. Between Philips and Phoenix, they do an incredible job of telling this rich compelling narrative.  

From a comic book fan’s perspective, there are several points of contention surrounding the film. Is this actually a story of a man having a mental breakdown, with any comic book connections shoehorned in? Is Joker an elaborate figment of Fleck’s imagination? Or is Fleck in some way the inspiration and catalyst for the actual Joker?

Philips has clearly researched the character, putting his own spin on the evolution of the Joker – which is the intelligent thing to do as the comics have purposefully never given the character a definitive backstory. He’s taken aspects of who the character will become, like one of the Joker’s weapons, a poison that causes his victims to laugh uncontrollably, and given it a plausible real-life origin. Even the various Batman tie-ins make sense within the context of the world Philips is creating.

As to Fleck’s imagination. One of the first scenes shows him imagining what it would be like to be sitting in the audience at his favourite talk show, to be spotted by the host, brought on stage and immediately liked by the audience and then considered a son by said host. Fleck has never been shown compassion by anyone, the exception being a fellow outcast of society, so he’s continually afflicted by a fictitious and vivid imagination. He even creates a fictious relationship with his neighbour which manifests from a brief moment of human connection. But by the end of the film Philips makes it clear to us what’s real and what’s imaginary. It’s the weight and shock of the numerous revelations that drives Fleck to snap and become the Joker. So I don’t think Joker is a figment of his imagination, I think Joker is who he becomes when he’s forced to confront reality. 

I’ve heard and read various theories about this film. With the consensus that Joker is a story of a man having a mental breakdown as his various supports are either taken from him or reject him. That any ties to the comic books are shoehorned in to create loose connections to a wider cultural zeitgeist to help market the film. Having now seen it, I disagree. The characters of Batman and Joker are designed to be forever entwined – the Joker serving as Batman’s continual test of his ethics and morality. Neither one can take that fatal step by removing the other from the equation and so are locked in this eternal struggle. By placing both characters at the start of their journeys to inevitably to become their alter egos in believable circumstances, Philips has set up a more interesting and balanced dynamic from the Joker’s perspective. And it works. Fleck isn’t the version of the Joker we recognise yet, because he’s never been given a chance or possessed the confidence to evolve.

I do believe this is the Joker we know from the comics. It’s just a more grounded and realistic version of the character that reflects that environment he’s been raised in, with glimpses of who he’ll become shown at the end of the film. This is hopefully only the beginning of his story.  

5/5

It’s a bold, gritty but incredibly realistic and fascinating retelling of the character. One that moulds a new kind of creative origin story. With exceptional performances and direction that richly explores mental health and societal mistreatment. It’s available now to buy and download.