Current and essential viewing

Rating: 10/10 (12 October 2019)

Where to begin. An essential story that had to be told. Not because its the Joker. Not because its DC or Batman related. Because it is current.
What is more important for film than to lure with one illusion, only to present something unexpected yet essential. The Joker does this effortlessly. Even if the Joker wasn't a well known character this production would have worked. The movie presents a picture for something very prevalent in global western society today; the disintegration of societal values, structure, and security and its human impact on the less privileged in society.
Arthur is the ultimate anti-hero and through his journey emerges as perhaps a more powerful hero than his arch nemesis to be. A David v Goliath type story. A hero is after all someone who stands up for the weak, injustice and those who cant stand up for themselves; Arthur has these traits, though not in a conventional sense. The weak in his story is him; what greater hero than someone who stands up for themselves and emerges triumpant ? My statement will of course have many people screaming given Arthur's chosen methods. What underlies it all is a person fighting back the only way they know how, once they've been pushed too far; at the story's core, Arthur is simply screaming for "help".
What about mental health you shout? He is totally messed up and off his meds. Of course, because mental health is just something that is the cause not the result? Mental health is correlated to societal values, function and security. Arthur's mental health is the result of his environment, so we are all to blame for Arthur's situation.