Hyper real take on a murderer, Gotham as the backdrop

Rating: 9/10 (5 October 2019)

A failed stand-up comedian Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) takes on the establishment and analyses his life, as events unfold on the fine line between tragedy/comedy.
Isolated by his society, it's unfortunate that unlike in Her, the tech is not available for Phoenix to have the sweet beautiful sensual voice of ScarJo to keep him from loneliness, instead only his sick mother!
This leaves Fleck stumbling for a connection, slowly descending into madness, leading him to what all depressives do, try stand-up comedy! He gets poor reviews, however he definitely has better delivery and material than say Russel Howard. Ultimately he aspires to get a spot on Late Night, hosted by De Nero in a return to form Jay Leno/David Letterman role.
This is a hyper real take on the Joker, where the backdrop is Gotham, but it could be anywhere - following a serial murderer. The links to the DC world are almost the weakest parts and just necessary. If Phoenix was portraying a real person, then he wins an Oscar for this performance.