"Joker" Will Change Comic Book Cinema - A Few Thoughts...

 

Approaching my thoughts on Joker has been an interesting ride. I cannot, for the life of me, get this movie out of my head. It has been at the forefront of my thoughts from the moment I walked out of the theater after that first viewing. I have seen the film twice, and I can say without a doubt that this movie is like nothing I’ve ever seen—a sentiment that I’ll touch on in a bit. What director Todd Phillips and actor Joaquin Phoenix have created here is something truly special, unique, of its own, and incredibly of its time. Some critics have said that this movie glorifies violence, that it places its central character on a pedestal and celebrates the chaos and destruction he is so intricately connected to from the source material. Well…that’s an opinion, I suppose, one that I whole-heartily disagree with. Joker is a villain origin story that does something truly masterful: it makes you relate and empathize with the main character, until you just absolutely can’t. 

Joker is a harrowing decent into madness that puts a mirror up to society and paints a portrait of what COULD be if things went the way they do in the film. There’s no real central message to the movie, because there are multiple messages to take away from this. Phoenix plays a man by the name of Arthur Fleck, a down-trodden, lower-class citizen of Gotham who struggles with mental illness, who cares for a mother who also battles her own personal issues, and works as a party clown to make ends meet while dreaming of becoming a stand-up comedian. He is constantly barraged by circumstances: the cutting of funds to social services that provides his medication, the abuse from co-workers and strangers, the lack of total decency from anyone in a better situation than him, and more. Arthur just wants to find his true identity while trying to ride that storm, but he ultimately cracks and the choices he makes to deal with these situations, with the people he sees as a negative presence in his life, are menacing, cruel, raw, and vicious. You feel for the guy…and then you don’t. You can't, for to do so would be immoral. It's genius storytelling that asks the audience really hard and ugly questions. It’s an insane journey, a slow burn from start to finish, and when it reaches those last 20-30 minutes, it’s a punch to the gut that will leave you unsettled.

Todd Phillips has solidified himself as an auteur with this film, and he seems to comment on so many things in this narrative that the level of discussion is tremendous when it comes to the pivotal question: “What is this all about?” There is clear commentary on the government’s involvement with how the classes are treated, on how society perceives and treats those with mental illness, and what would happen should no changes be made to improve these issues. Those are just a few that you can pick out from this movie. The film is set in the 80s, but it could not be more relevant to 2019 and the way society seems to be today. A lot of critics have commented on this movie's societal portrait, some deeming this movie as “dangerous” because of its portrayal of violence and it’s ability to insight similar actions in the real world. To that I say hogwash. There are more violent movies than this one, but ultimately I think its the realism that's being addressed. The best art, in my book, reflects society and comments on it. Science Fiction—which Joker is not, but bear with me—has always been a genre that explored society of the day and commented on both negative and positive aspects, typically in some fictional landscape. Doing so gives us an environment to talk about and question those aspects. To this day, that is why science fiction is one of the most popular forms of storytelling. Comics are no different. Modern mythologies that represent societal tropes; who can read the X-Men and NOT see it’s blatant commentary on racism and classism? Artistic expression is subjective catharsis when it comes to examining the world, and this is exactly what Joker is doing.

Joker, as a film, has got to be the most artistic film I have seen all year. From a production standpoint, the movie is absolutely gorgeous. This is the best Gotham has ever looked; it’s real, tangible--it transcends the pages of the comics and appears livable, as if I can go and visit it today. A lot of comparisons have been made between this movie and that of Taxi Driver and King of Comedy. I agree that there are definitely narrative and thematic similarities, but I would argue that this film takes more inspiration from the movies of the 70s in general than just those two. Todd Phillips speaks to this idea as well, and it’s clear from the way he uses the camera to frame the characters, to move in and out of light, and his blend of imagery and sound—particularly with the amazing score—that this is clear. The score, my goodness…it’s practically a character of its own. It’s as much a storyteller as the narrative itself. If you really watch and listen, it’ll tell you exactly what is happening. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is haunting, chilling, and a masterful addition to this entire film. It should be nominated for an Oscar, as should this film for Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Director and Best Actor for Phoenix.

 

The biggest take away, for sure, is Phoenix’s performance. Arthur Fleck/The Joker is not someone who you really can identify with, rather I think it’s more his predicament that we as an audience are meant to understand and relate to. It’s a tricky thing really, as I said earlier; you sort of root for this guy until he starts making decisions that makes it impossible for you to root for him. From then on it’s just a crazy decent that you’re stuck viewing. Phoenix is truly and utterly brilliant in his portrayal of Joker. On one hand, this has got to be one of the best, most realistic depictions of struggling with mental illness ever put to screen, and on the other it’s also a performance truly unique and singular in a way. The physicality that Phoenix brings to the character is truly striking. From his skeletal frame (he lost a reported 50+ pounds for the role) to the incredibly chilling and pain-laden laugh, Phoenix’s Arthur is a dark and haunted figure inside and out. When his transformation into Joker fully takes form, we see a semblance of that chaotic charm and menace, but it doesn’t come from a place of force or performance. What I mean by that is in the past, the Joker has always been this charismatic character, and a lot of his actions and mannerism were fruits of his showman-esque persona. With Arthur, he is being genuine; that his true self is expressed through the face paint and free-wheeled dancing. His violent choices are a product of his perceived viewpoint, which in turn were driven by his predicaments, and that seems really different and unique to this telling of the Joker. Nobody could have pulled this off other than Joaquin Phoenix. The man oozes talent, and is arguable one of the best of his time. He deserves the recognition that he’s been getting, and more.

Now, I’ve spent a lot of time praising this movie, and rightfully so. I’ve also stayed clear of spoilers so if you haven’t seen this movie yet, you’re in for a real surreal experience. But I feel the need to warn you if you have yet to see this masterful film. This movie is not a happy movie, nor is it a family-friendly comic book movie like we’ve all come to know. It’s almost hard to even call it a comic book movie, because it’s so real, raw, disturbing, and downright dower. There are no superheroes, no epic CGI battles. This is a villain origin story, and so it is to be expected that a less-than-savory disposition would be on display. I wanted to express that because I feel like many unsuspecting people will assume this is something that it isn’t. Prior to its opening this weekend, Joker premiered in Venice and had only be viewed by select critic screenings, and yet the pre-release mass hysteria that we have been bombarded with, fueled by the media and people who seemed to have solidified perspectives on the film’s merits and message without ever having seen it, honestly shocked me. Stories came out saying that the film is “dangerous” and that the violent content and character approach could be seen as inspirational to those who might be more inclined to a violent nature. Theater chains increased security over the weekend in relation to this hysteria. To be completely transparent, I was annoyed by this; not that actions were taken to prevent negative scenarios, but that still to this day people look at art as a catalyst for insidious motivations. People are going to do what they’re going to do, whether they watch a movie or not. It’s the whole separating the art from the artist debate that has reared its head for hundreds of years. I just think it's unfair to the movie and the hundreds of people who work on them. See the film, then form your opinion.

Joker is a movie, a piece of art. If you’ve seen it and really didn’t like it, that’s great. I can understand why. If you loved it like I did, that’s great, too. Art is subjective, and as long as we can understand that and be civil about our discourse on the matter (easier said than done), then we’ll be all the better for it. Joker is unlike anything we've seen before it, and I think it will change the course of comic book cinema as we know it. I want to see more like this; these character studies that spend more time on the people in these narratives than the spectacle they partake in. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some spectacle! But I can go on and on—and from the length of my blabbering here, it’s apparent that I have—about how much I really enjoyed this film. Joker is astounding, bold, decisive, artistic, bleak, and mind-blowingly good, centered around a performance that is unforgettable, one-of-a-kind, and Oscar-worthy. I highly recommend seeing this movie. Just know that it’s going to be an emotionally intense ride; that you may leave afterward feeling uneasy or shocked—and that’s okay. Movies can do that; they don’t have to be all sun and rainbows. I loved this movie, and I look forward to seeing it clean house come awards season.