Few films released in the last few years have caused quite as much of a fuss as Joker; directed by Todd Phillips. Opinions on the film vary depending on where you look. The film released to wide critical acclaim, yet some utterly despised it. I’ll talk about one possible reason for this later, but for now let’s take a look at the film itself.

The plot is a character study of Arthur Fleck, a failing comedian who is suffering from mental health issues formed from a traumatic past. The character is shown nothing but constant rejection throughout the film, where he is beaten down to a dark place where his persona of the Joker is eventually conceived. It’s a powerful cautionary tale, one that comments on how we as a society treat our fellow man, and its poignant message seems more relevant than ever today.

Joaquin Phoenix gives an Oscar worthy performance, whom we luckily get to see on screen for most of the running time. Joaquin portrays somebody reaching the edge of sanity so convincingly that some moments are disturbing purely from his performance alone.

His work is accompanied by a tense yet emotional score by Hildur Guonadottir. It creates an uncomfortable atmosphere that grabs you as soon as the movie begins and holds the audience in its grasp until the end credits. My theatre had moments of almost disturbing silence during some scenes, my hands clenching the armrests of my seat during these sequences. It was oddly silent when the credits started to roll, and people just got up and walked out. By no doubt, this a difficult film to sit through, but I think that’s more or less the purpose…

The film has gained a lot of criticism for how it could potentially promote violence by portraying the Joker in a more sympathetic light. Instead of a one-dimensional villain, the character of Arthur is slowly beaten through a downward spiral, eventually driven into lashing back out at the people who hurt him. We are given understanding of his motives and are even able to feel an element of sympathy for his character. This discussion caused quite a controversy surrounding the release with some on the internet praising the movie for attempting to explore a new and interesting backstory for this iconic character, but with others claiming that the film could potentially inspire acts of real-world violence.

So is the films approach to this character dangerous? Is the fact that we can almost sympathise with him initially dangerous? Well, no, I don’t believe so. The film never justifies his heinous crimes, however we as an audience are able to understand the reason behind these actions and really see his eventual plunge into insanity.

The fact is stories like this need to be told. Complex characters such as Arthur can help us better understand the real world and how there is always a backstory behind every person, even ones who commit evil. Film can be a reflection of our surroundings, so the very fact that a film like this has been made in our modern age is a statement in its own right. We should strive to treat our fellow man with respect and empathy, which is something that this film highlights.

Yes, this is a tough one to watch but that’s how it should be. This is something that will stick with you and I have no doubt that Joaquin’s portrayal of this famous character will become iconic. For its minor faults, it still holds up as my favourite film of the year and is one of the best things I have ever seen from DC.

Thanks for reading this far if you’re still here, and farewell!

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