Movie Review: ‘Joker’ (2019) (Todd Phillips Direction) - The Forever Alone Failed Clown

Source - Bold Canon

“Is it just me or is it getting crazier out there?” 

-Arthur Fleck / Joker

Self-actualization, the final stage of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It is at this stage the person is able to take full advantage of his/her talents while still being mindful of their limitations. It is the very desire that leads to realization of one’s full potential to reach the apex of human existence. 

But what went wrong that made this a sad story of self-actualization of a failed, mentally impaired and forever alone Arthur Fleck?

Introduction

Movie’s Name - Joker 

Director’s Name - Todd Phillips

Based on - Joker character by DC comics

Release Date - October 2, 2019

Genre - Psychological Thriller, Crime, Drama

Starring - Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Dante Pereira-Olson

Plot of the Movie

Roaming in a crowd the failed comedian named Arthur Fleck seeks for acknowledgment and connection walking the streets of Gotham City- a city of crime and unemployment. 

Arthur who suffers from a mental condition and uncontrollable laughter depends on social services for medication. He pursues a relationship with his neighbor, single mother Sophie only to later find out he was delusional. 

After getting to know from his mother, Penny, Thomas Wayne is his father he tries to meet him with the hope of getting to know the truth. On being rejected he goes to Arkham Asylum where he learns that his mother is delusional who allowed Arthur to get abused by her boyfriends that led to brain damage, which has left him with a mental illness and the condition of uncontrollable laughter.

One turning point in his life makes him dive into madness and go on a violent streak of a downward spiral journey of blood crime as he transforms into a criminal mastermind called ‘Joker’. 

Source - Miroslaw

Towards the end, after all the ruckus and violence at the talk show, Arthur is back at the Asylum where he is seen laughing on his joke that he tells his psychiatrist she wouldn’t understand and escapes from the session leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints. 

Main Cast 

Joaquin Phoenix plays the character of Arthur Fleck / Joker - an impoverished clown with a history of abuses that causes him to become a nihilistic criminal. 

Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin is a talk show host who plays a role in Arthur’s downfall and with whom Arthur is obsessed.

Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck, Arthur’s mother who is mentally and physically ill and worked for Thomas Wayne.

Joker - A Character Psychoanalysis

Source - NDTV

“For my whole life, I didn’t know If I even really existed. But I do, and people are starting to notice.” 

-Arthur Fleck / Joker  

Arthur Fleck is a lost and sad man suffering from the repercussions of being beaten up by others, emotionally and physically all his life that makes him embark on a path to face his alter-ego. 

Arthur wears two masks, the one he paints during the day (that of a clown) to make people laugh while the other guise he projects to make himself feel like he is a part of this crazy world. 

He lacks a sense of identity who colors his emptiness with the makeup of a clown and his deep agony with a fake smile.

He often stays confused as to what is real and what is fantasy due to his mental condition of having Delusional Disorder which is the result of a history of abuse in his childhood.

For some his laughter could also have a different interpretation as that of a defense mechanism to make himself feel protected. He is a very emotionally unstable individual who on learning his mother’s illness fills with tremendous anger and sadness leading him to become the mastermind homicidal killer.

Learnings from the Movie

1. Negativity, grudge and revenge will ultimately turn you into an individual full of madness. Learning to forgive, ignore and being persistent can help you move up the ladder and achieve your goals.

2. You can succeed despite your mental condition - For ages people have made excuses and believed that people living with anxiety, bipolar and schizophrenic disorders cannot do well or perform tasks. But there have been many examples of people who despite suffering/living with such illnesses have grown and achieved beyond normal success, like - Stephen Hawking, Reshma Valliappan and John Nash Jr.

The Bottom Line

Joker is not an action movie but a devastating psychological drama depicting the suffering of a man who was wronged by society and got it all wrong. 

Todd Phillips has not glorified psychopathology but instead makes a compelling case of a deeply disturbed individual struggling to find a coping mechanism. 

It definitely is a disturbing, intense, potentially toxic and an incendiary movie but has constructively depicted the probable atrocities people still perform on such people, with a brilliant visionary providing a definitive origin of the Joker.

My ratings for the movie - 5 on 5

You can watch the movie on - Amazon Prime Video

Written By - Umme-Aiman