"Joker" [2019]

"I used to think that my life was a tragedy. But now I realize, it's a comedy" - Arthur Fleck, Joker

Film

Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz,

Robert De Niro

Written by: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver,

Bob Kane

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and Bron Creative.

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RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

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WARNING: SPOILERS!

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SYNOPSIS:

Arthur Fleck, a party clown and a failed stand-up comedian, leads an impoverished life with his ailing mother. However, when society shuns him and brands him as a freak, he decides to embrace the life of chaos in Gotham City.

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A man who has an abusive childhood, disregarded by society who only wants is to make everyone smile and be happy. Despite his condition and his on-going battle inside of him, he still aims for his dreams to be fulfilled. But later on, he will soon realize that in a place like Gotham, all dreams have a price. A price that can sometimes be tragic, horrendous and even deadly.

At first glance...

When the movie started, the prominent element that you will notice is the society wherein our "protagonist" lives in. A dark, messy, crazy and chaotic world where everyone has personal care in mind. It is a place where crimes are normal and bullies are common. Phoenix's acting showed me that everyone can be a victim of this city. Even a clown who just wants to perform and showcase his talents. You will instantly realize that more than the laughs that were heard, the setting of the whole movie that has a dark-themed tone as if life has been sucked from it will keep you mesmerized and amused.

As we meet Arthur Fleck, a clown-for-hire, stand-up comedian performer who longs to be onstage and has a dream to finally be able to finally voice out his jokes written in his journal. At this point, we can see that this is one way of how the movie wants its audience to empathize with him and be able to identify with Arthur and what he is as a person.

From Arthur's daily routine, which involves Arthur's being kicked in an alleyway, from the amount of medicine he needs to take to neutralize his involuntary laughter, up to taking care of his sick mother whom he loves so much - on the onset, we can tell that this film is indeed quite depressing. But little did we know that later on, we will learn that this story will get even darker like falling in a pit of the unknown.

Going Deeper...

(Before I proceed, let me just tell you that I'm not a movie critic nor finished any degree in film whatsoever. I'm just an average person who loves to watch movies and wants to share my thoughts based on what I just watched. Some points that I'll be mentioning here might be superb to me but not yours and vice-versa. Hoping that this clear things up.)

One of the factors that made me watched this film aside from the dark tone of the movie is the music that was used. It's like I'm taken back to the old setup of theater plays wherein there is a contrast between the message of the song to what is happening in the story. And this style is also manifested here. There are moments in the film wherein the character is doing a violent deed but in his head, in his mental state, this is "fun" to him. At first, you will see the remorse but later on due to the unfair treatment he experiences from the people he met, there is a part of him that wants to believe that what he is doing is justifiable. In addition to this, what makes the scene very effective is how the music (a tragedy at its finest) accompanies the scene that makes its statement bolder and very effective.

I also admired some camera shots that were used in the film. There are two notable instances in the film wherein the shots were taken from a low angle that slowly moves away from the central figure of the scene. And I was stunned and at awe at the parallelism of the two characters we all know are intertwined with each other. Not to exaggerate but these were the moments were I almost cursed how good the movie was.

The cinematography particularly the gloomy effect of the lighting makes it more depressing which makes you think that even though the character is a well-known comic book character, you will soon realize that there are maybe a lot of "Jokers" in our world today. Unfortunately, most of them remains unnoticed.

In regards to casting, Robert De Niro also gave justice to his role as a late-night television host. From his portrayal as a sort of father-figure to Arthur up to the discovery that he is like all other Hollywood stars that we commonly stereotyped - which is selfish, self-serving and obsess to fame in exchange for other's reputation.

Scene that Shines...

One thing that stood out in the film is found in the last part where Joker stands up in the car and did his dance. The camera angles, the distance of the shots, the slow-motion which is for me speaks volumes as if it was the society who DID this to him. It was the oppressive rich people, the unkind behavior and atrocious people who gave birth to one of the menacing villains who ever-lived and that name is JOKER. (Of course, you will somehow get my point once you watch the film.)

Improvements...

As of this writing, one improvement that I can mention is the character of Leigh Gill. (he is the vertically-challenged man in the film.) For the record, I did not watch any of his previous films which means I do not have any references for his past performances but I would like to believe that he did well in those movies. But for this one, I just did not felt his acting here. I was hoping that I would see more from him. Also, there's a part where Arthur thanking him from his help but I'm not sure how he actually "helped" him. Maybe I just missed it somehow?

In conclusion:

Joker is a film that I urge everyone to see. It may seem like an origin movie of Bruce's arch nemesis but I do believe that it is a story that can happen to anyone of us. It is simple yet complex. More than a Comedy, it is a Tragedy. It is a story of a man who is on the brink of letting go of all the sanity he has left. A man who where everything has been taken from him. A man who was misunderstood by many - not knowing that the very audience he desires to impress will be the same audience that will trample his dreams to nothingness. The people who mocked at him shall become victims of his own laughter. And that my friend is what you called... The KILLING JOKE.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgrWXTz_8eU