Spoiler-free review of ‘Joker’
In an age where supernatural and unrealistic superhero movies that end on a happy note, the ‘Joker’ offers a refershing change.
Cutting out the glamour that is usually expected, of such movies, the ‘Joker’ incorporates scenes that make people uncomfortable alongside those of Arthur Fleck, (the joker), laughing maniacally, to scenes of him being beaten up and forcing the audience to feel sorry for a character that has long been identified as a villain.
This movie forces us as a society to look at ourselves, to wonder if we are living in a city, much like the fictional city of Gotham. Are we not taking care of those with mental health issues? Are we not being kind when we can? We see throughout the movie how the cruelness of society is reflected in Arthur’s character overtime. How the perceptions he had towards people he trusted changed as he lost faith in them throughout the course of the movie. The gap between the rich and poor was showcased exceptionally well as well as the cruelness of the times the movie is set in.
One interesting thing to note was the place where Arthur worked, a place where undesirables in society who had no other employment options would work as clowns. We see Arthur, who has a psychological illness and another character who is physically handicapped working such jobs.
On a surface level the movie seems to logically flow, and it is quite easy to understand but looking carefully at specific scenes the movies starts to make us question which scenes are real and which Arthur imagined. “If I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!”, is a famous quote from the Joker in ‘Batman, specifically ‘The Killing Joke’, this quote perfectly encapsulates the confusion and debate this movie initiates.
Each person who watches this movie will come out with a vastly different understanding of it to another. Which is unquestionably the best and most impactful part of this film.
