Joker
Insanity triggers the revolt of the proletariat.
Metadata
| Director | Todd Phillips |
| Year | 2019 |
| Writer | Todd Phillips, Scott Silver |
| Stars | Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz |
The Movie in 3 Sentences
The movie is really about Arthur’s psyche slowly falling apart under the pressure of the world around him, and Joaquin Phoenix completely carries it. His Joker feels very different from Heath Ledger’s: Ledger’s Joker always seemed calculating and rational underneath the chaos, while Phoenix’s feels broken from the inside out.
Arthur desperately wants to be seen and accepted, especially through comedy and his obsession with Murray’s talk show. Instead, he’s constantly ignored, humiliated, and pushed aside. His mental illness is obviously a huge part of what happens, but the movie also shows how cruelty, poverty, and social isolation help push him further over the edge. His transformation into Joker then becomes tied to this larger anger among people who also feel forgotten by society.
It’s dark, uncomfortable, and a pretty brutal commentary on what can happen to people who are repeatedly left behind.