*SPOILER FREE*
The movie “Joker” has been receiving more attention than Lady Gaga at the Met Gala this year, and that’s saying something. I headed into Gotham city with exceedingly high expectations, and let’s see if those were met.
Firstly, Joaquin Phoenix deserves all the compliments and spotlight: it’s hard enough to portray well a typical, mean, extremely powerful villain who just wants to destroy the world (Think Thanos, for example), but to portray the birth and evolution of a villain, who is vulnerable and mysterious in that no one can relate to his thoughts or actions (if you do relate, please seek immediate help), is as hard as trying to win an Oscar when you’re Leonardo DiCaprio. But somehow he pulls it off: Joker’s menacing laugh, internal pain and psychotic nature. And losing 52 pounds for a role just screams dedication to me.
The storyline and overall screenplay? Well, I don’t know how it feels to have around 7 different severe mental health illnesses but to me this film seemed like an accurate portrayal of severe mental health issues. Not only this, but this film highlights a lot of social issues we’re facing: the obvious wealth divide, the extreme lack in government support for sufferers of mental health illnesses, and the stigma surrounding the sufferers. Perhaps the villain “Joker” is the tragic creation of the Gotham society.
What I also found interesting was the audience’s attitude towards “Joker” -or Arthur Fleck. I’ve been an avid lover of the movie “Dark Knight” (Come on, Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer- need I say more?) and we always saw the Joker – played by Heath Ledger- as the brutal psycho, somewhat inhuman. But by zooming in on Arthur Fleck’s story rather than the evil “Joker”, I found myself sympathising him. Through the movie’s focus on his relationship with his mother, it shows that the Joker was capable of love until he discovered that he was unloved. Fleck’s cruel childhood, betrayals and his hurting are so vividly portrayed that the birth of such a psychopathic criminal seems inevitable.
Finally, an honourable mention to the music composer Hildur Guðnadóttir (her name just rolls of the tongue doesn’t it). A cellist and composer from Iceland, she manages to capture the sinister and bleak mood perfectly with the unsettling, heart wrenching but simple cello melody. For such a dark film, you wouldn’t expect upbeat pop songs such as “That’s life” to go so well with the screenplay, but it just works- like prosciutto and melon. (Sorry, that was incredibly specific.)
So, were my expectations met? Absolutely yes. Do I prefer”Joker” to “Dark Knight”? Well, they are different… but no. Sorry Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips but I prefer the crazy, evil psycho – what a “villain” is meant to be. But bear in mind, I’m the BIGGEST Christopher Nolan fan and so I’m very likely to be biased. So don’t let that put you off – “Joker” was definitely the highlight of all the movies produced in 2019 and deserves all the gold and shiny trophies which Leonardo DiCaprio only has one of. (Yes, the Oscars.)
Friday Movie Night- what are you watching? 