Joker

Huh, where to begin…

When the first images of Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker unexpectedly appeared, the audience quickly divided into two camps.

One camp had already written off the film from the start, signaling that Joaquin’s portrayal of the legendary villain didn’t look promising, and that no one could surpass the legendary Heath Ledger and his incarnation of the Joker in “The Dark Knight”. This raised the question of the point of a Joker film without Batman.

The other camp defended Joaquin Phoenix. A man nominated several times for the Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA, and who has under his belt leading (and notably unique) roles in successful and award-winning films (“Gladiator”, “The Master”, “Walk the Line”, “Her”, “Signs”), is not someone to be underestimated, even when legendary rivals like the late Heath Ledger, as well as still kicking Jack Nicholson and Mark Hamill, and Jared Leto are considered.

Since it’s quite obvious which side was right (even if you haven’t seen the film yet, haven’t heard of Joaquin Phoenix, and have lived under a rock for the last 20 years, surely your neighbor under the other rock has already told you), let’s quickly skim over the plot and turn to the acting and the meaning of the film.

Arthur Fleck is a guy who works part-time as a clown (parties, hospitals, advertisements, and the like) while trying to become a stand-up comedian. Our Arthur, in addition to depression and other mental health issues, suffers from a neurological disorder that causes unexpected bouts of uncontrollable laughter, which, of course, doesn’t help him fit into societal norms. As a result, he leads a rather reclusive life (already being considered a weirdo) and tries to battle his illness with medication available only through social services. He cares for his elderly mother, who can’t leave the apartment and spends her days watching television or persistently writing letters to billionaire Thomas Wayne, hoping for a response (since she worked for him and his family when she was young). It must be admitted, life is not easy for him, but he fights. And he always tries to keep a smile on his face.

He knows nothing about his father, so he sees almost fatherly figures only in billionaire Thomas Wayne and talk-show host Murray Franklin.

Soon after getting fired because of a setup by a colleague who gave him a gun (as “self-defense,” though knowing well that Arthur is mentally ill and shouldn’t have a firearm), and it fell out in a hospital where he was entertaining sick children (don’t ask), Arthur experiences a laughing fit while riding the subway. Unfortunately, at that moment, three drunken businessmen thugs working for Thomas Wayne’s corporation are also on the train and, not giving him a chance to explain why he’s laughing, start brutally beating Arthur.

A frightened Arthur (and also frustrated with everything), in an attempt to defend himself, shoots and kills the three businessmen, then flees the crime scene and tries to continue leading a “normal” life. Soon after the murders become public, Arthur’s life begins to drastically change, as the people do not condemn these killings. On the contrary…

And we’ll stop here. 😀

Acting… if I had to describe Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in one short sentence, it would be: “He nailed it!” 😀 Without a doubt, he is the star of the film, but not just because he’s in the lead role. From the first minute you hear that disturbing laugh, through his gaze to his appearance (the man lost more than twenty kilograms for the role… just think of similar transformations by Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, or Matthew McConaughey), you swallow a lump and feel uneasy when you see his transformation, first at the beginning of the film, and then an even more disturbing psychological transformation during the film! The actor reportedly watched videos of people with pathological disorders that cause uncontrollable laughter to try to authentically get into the role! Rest assured, drastic physical transformation, combined with delving into the psyche of a mentally ill character with their own worldview, is not something that can be done without consequences for the actor himself. It’s a dangerous level of commitment. And Joaquin Phoenix did it masterfully, truly deserving an Oscar. His presence is so powerful that even Zazie Beetz, Brett Cullen, Frances Conroy, or Robert De Niro, in their supporting roles, cannot shine as brightly.

So, I think it’s obvious that I liked the acting in this film (“Hahahahahahaha” – note from the Joker). 😁

An especially interesting detail in the film is that the viewer often isn’t sure whether some events actually happened or if everything just took place in Arthur Fleck’s head. I don’t know why, but I immediately thought of the movie “Inception.”