Joker (2019 film)

Category: Psychological drama with touches of horror.

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Joker is hands-down one of the best movies I've seen in recent years. The pacing, the storytelling, the little bits that are ambiguous and throw you off, the iconic memes. Not to mention (and this is something we already knew) - Joaquin Phoenix is one helluva actor. 

The first thing to note about Joker is that this film stands alone by itself - it doesn't need to be seen alongside any of the other films in the Batman series. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that there are characters named Bruce and Thomas Wayne and that the story is set in Gotham City, you wouldn't know this was connected to the DCEU in any way, shape or form.

And this is one thing that makes it stand apart from any of the other Batman movies - and in particular, The Dark Knight series - there are no superhero sequences, no Batmobiles, no spandex and leather - just a gritty and realistic portrayal of how a society descending into anarchy finds its figurehead.

So to break the story down, Joker revolves around Arthur Fleck, a man struggling to hold on to reality and his sense of place in the world, while also trying to hold on to his meagre job as a clown for hire. A (thankfully non-fatal) incident with a gun at a children's hospital and subsequent dismissal push Fleck over the edge, thus giving him all the free time he needs to do other things, such as visit his hospitalised mother, pursue a romance, find out more about his parentage, hate society more, and become an icon for a revolution.

All of this culminates in that talk show scene where Robert De Niro's character is killed in cold blood, which I can't describe as anything other than absolutely brilliant cinema! What makes it captivating is seeing how Fleck has decided to no longer be constrained by what society thinks of him, no matter how awful it makes him and no matter the consequences.

And then the absolutely chilling line…"it's a joke, but you wouldn’t get it!" right before he (apparently) kills his doctor.

This isn't a political movie - having said that, it does seem to have a lot to say about the growing disparity between the haves and the have-nots, the futility of the services meant to help those who need them and their struggle under the weight of expectations and budget cuts, as well as the depiction of society's acceptance of those struggling with mental illness.

 

FINAL RATING: 5/5 STARS