Modern Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (4 December 2019)

The film Joker staring Joaquin Phoenix, follows the story of Arthur Fleck and the slow transformation into becoming known as Joker. By day Arthur works as a party clown on the dark streets of Gotham city, and at night he treads up the stairs to his apartment to take care of his mother, and dreams of becoming a famous comedian. Early into this story as he is talking to his psychologist we find out that Arthur has severe mental illnesses, and is on several medications that don't show progress for him. Throughout his life Arthur has been subjected to being physically abused and beaten by strangers in the street, and is lied to by his mother who is the one person who really loves him. All he really dreams of is being a comedian and going on his favorite show, The Murry Franklin Talk Show. After years of trauma his illness grabs a hold of his mind and he has now committed many murders. He is now known as joker, and starts a uproar of riots against Gotham's wealthy. His dream of going on The Murry Franklin Talk Show comes true, but he brings a loaded gun on to the show and things go south. The film ends with Arthur in Arkam Asylum, and leaves the audience questioning what really happened. The controversy surrounding this film is due to the gun violence and dark themes that can be considered disturbing. However, these theatrical elements are often used in many films, and specifically psychological thrillers.
Joaquin Phoenix plays the lead as Arthur with a spectacular performance that is shocking and ominous. Joaquin became this character both physically and on a mental scale. He put raw emotion into the role by how he moves and believes in this reality of Gotham. Joaquin nearly starved himself for the role as he transformed himself into a weak, skinny, and feeble body. The character has a neurological disorder called Pseudobulbar affect causing uncontrollable laughing at different times of intense emotion. The laugh Joaquin developed was so compelling that it even looked painful. There is even a child-like element to the character in the ways he moves and expresses emotions and desires. He acts on the ways he views other grown men, for he doesn't always feel like a grown man. This is due to sustaining years of childhood abuse leaving him wanting a childhood. He also walks and moves is very slouched and constricted with his head looking down. However, when killing people he stretches his arms out and looks up having a posture of confidence as he thinks of himself of more of a man. These subtle details lead to a greater performance by Joaquin and shows great talent.
Director and writer Todd Philips brings a image of the darkness of Arthur with closed in buildings towering over him and an overall dark color palette. One of the significate elements is the dark staircase Arthur treads up everyday in a depressed manner. The importance comes when we see Arthur transform into Joker in his bright suit dancing on the steps in madness. It's also symbolic because throughout the film we see overcast and rainy whether, but as Joker dances on the stairs the sun is shining. When it comes to writing this screenplay feels very original in Hollywood, and I like that it's very detached from the super hero or comic book movies that we see so often. With the upcoming award season I've found that this film is deserving of the Academy Award for multiple catagories, and Joaquin Phoenix deserves the best actor award for his spectacular performance. Joaquin has shown his amazing talent over his entire acting career, and has had many nominations. Joker captures the chaos and lunacy of the character Joker in a way that we haven't really seen before. Philips shows how a disturbed man can become sinister. It's a image that is new and riveting compared to the repetitive comic book films. It is a modern masterpiece.