Joker (2019)

It seems that the movie "Joker" has hit a nerve with the audiences.  Based loosely on DC comic's arch nemesis to Batman the Joker the film is rooted more to our past history of violence then it is to the comics. The film seems to be doing well, and it is amazing that Warner Brothers actually made a R rated film based on a comic book villain.  But then again the movie seems to be a bit of a time capsule of what we are going through presently in our political and social scene. This is only my own opinion but a movies such as "Joker" could only come out now in an era where hate, and senselessness to violence towards each other are more the norm then it was in the past.

The filmmaker sets the film in the fictitious city of Gotham, but in reality the film was shot in New York city.  This is no mistake.  Only in a city of 8 million plus can we get the feel and look of despair and loneliness through the NYC landscape.  I do not want to denigrate the city that I love so much, but the filmmaker does an outstanding job in creating a society on the brink of lawlessness, and where violence is everywhere.  It literally conjures scenes up from the early to late 70's of NYC.

There is a garbage strike, and the city is awash with garbage.  Todd Philips does a great job in creating a rich and dense atmospheric film.  It sells the film, and creates a world where the Joker can be created.  Along with it's gothic and old infrastructure NYC stands in for Gotham quite nicely.  It is no mistake that the filmmaker doesn't hide the fact it is NYC.  The images and sequences are almost ripped from old headlines of NYC in the 70's where the city was going broke, garbage was all about, and the city was awash with old tenement buildings in disrepair.

I find it ironic that after three weeks out the movie "Joker" is number 2 in box office receipts .  I believe the film has resonated with its audience, but better yet it's GOOD filmmaking of the highest caliber.   "Rambo's: Final Blood"has grossed $83.1 million at the box office time as of October 20th while the "Joker" has earned $737.5 million as of the same date.  Why?  Both are different films, but "Joker" seems to have hit a nerve.

It also has a stellar performance by Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck aka the Joker.  The cinematography by Lawrence Sher is extraordinary, and worth an Oscar nomination.  I do feel that the film's atmosphere contributes to it's quality.

The violence is overly hyped.  Nothing no one else has seen or done before.  The film deals with mental illness, but the Joker is a sociopath.   The film does try to address why he Arthur became the Joker, but is his mental illness from his environment or was he just born that way?   Through the picture we find out that Arthur had been abused and his mom had suffered from delusions & stood silent to the abuse Arthur was receiving from her boyfriends.    Is it nature or nurture?  The film seems to say that it is the environment that shapes the individual, but does it?  It has been a question that has perplexed psychologists for years.  The movie does not answer that.  It only provides you with how Arthur grew up, and by doing so we become sympathetic to Arthur. 

Joker is a villain, we feel sympathy for him and it is those feelings that make the film a strong comment on violence or our love for retribution.  After all we want to believe that Arthur will get better, but we are repulsed by his actions.  Todd Phillips & Scott Silver do an admirable job at writing a screenplay that straddles the razors edge of pure insanity and murderous rage while at the same time sympathizing with Arthur's plight.

Is "Joker" an easy film?  NO.  Is it a film that should be merited for its technique and it's message.  Thought the film takes place in the 80's it feels later, and it deals with social media without ever mentioning it.  Throughout the film characters say that it's a bit crazy out there, and that's why everybody is so mean and nasty.  I believe that's a comment on todays social media, and our politics where everyone screams at each other, but nobody listens. 

I sincerely believe "Joker" is a byproduct of our times.  It's well made, and ugly, yet in the ugliness their is something familiar.  I applaud the filmmakers at making a film that tries to deal with several issues, yet doesn't try to preach to us.  Another film this reminds me of is "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer".  In that film as well as in "Joker" there is nothing redeeming about the main character, yet we seem compelled to watch.

This is not a movie for everyone.  Yet I praise Warner Brothers for having the guts to make it in the first place.  Unusual film?  Absolutely, but worth seeing if not just for the performances, but as well as the atmosphere.