Although Joker is a movie about an ex-clown pushed over the edge, the amount of clownery the audience is presented with is obscene. While the cinematography, direction, and performances were excellent – specifically that of Joaquin Phoenix – the base storyline itself could not save this film from disaster.
Based on the promotion of and response to this film, it seemed as if the creators were putting forth a commentary on how society can drive a man to become the Joker. Unfortunately, the film ultimately succeeds in following in the footsteps of many bad horror movies by demonizing the mentally ill. Joker makes paltry attempts at showing the failures of the system and the society in which Arthur Fleck lives, but ultimately it doesn’t commit enough to these things to blame them. In that way, it is as if the filmmakers have taken the side of Thomas Wayne: everyone is a clown.
Worse, in society the mentally ill are more likely to be further abused and taken advantage of than to become violent. The movie even portrays this in how Penny Fleck is implied to have had custody over Arthur even after allowing him to come to such grievous harm. People in charge cut the funding to the program that allows him to get treatment for his illnesses. Even in bringing light to these issues, Joker still effectively demonizes the sufferer rather than the torment. That is not to excuse the actions of Arthur Fleck or justify them – they are truly atrocious – but rather to point out the lack of commitment to any particular issue in exploring these serious topics.
Joker is slightly more adept at portraying the diverse attitudes to be found in Gotham. The perspective of the richer people of Gotham are represented in Murray Franklin and Thomas Wayne, and their views are clear: they find that those who are poor are not productive and wish to live off of the rich people who “made” something of themselves. Meanwhile, from the start of the film, we hear that there are city-wide strikes, although the reason for which is not made clear; if it is, and I missed it, it is easily overshadowed by whatever events Arthur Fleck is going through. Although the wealthy voices we hear – namely Murray and Thomas – are seemingly convinced the people are happy because a clown killed some promising young workers, it is clear that there has been unrest in the city for far longer than they are willing to recognize. They aren’t excited that young money has died. They are upset that there is a huge outcry when said young money dies, but these same people crying for justice will step over the bodies of the poor in the streets if they passed them. I suppose when I say “adept,” I really mean to refer to willingness. While this issue isn’t extremely nuanced, it is still treated with more dignity than mental illness is.
Easily the best part of Joker was Joaquin Phoenix’s incredible performance. I hated Arthur Fleck, but I pitied him at the same time, and for that I loved to watch him. As a well-portrayed and well-written unreliable narrator, the fan theories about whether or not the events of the film were real are delightful. Even the most bizarre of scenes – like the bathroom waltz – were approached with such a reality and gravity that they were mesmerizing. It’s unfortunate that such an excellent casting choice was paired with such a mediocre and noncommittal storyline.
Indira Ramgolam is a sophomore in Columbia College.