We Got What We Deserved !!!

Rating: 9/10 (3 October 2019)

I can't believe this movie exists.
If somebody told me a couple of months ago that Todd Phillips' "Joker" would actually be a personal drama that acts as a character study and social commentary while also making sure to be a film striped away from the Hollywood standards and stuff that most movies of the genre incorporate in addition to being exceptionally written, directed, acted and scored, I genuinely wouldn't believe him. This movie reminds me of two eras, the first one being the good old days of American cinema. It's obviously inspired from that period of filmmaking and I think it's needless to say how Martin Scorsese's filmography (most notably "Taxi Driver") has contributed to this movie actually being made. The second period of time "Joker" reminds of, are the 2000s when comic-book movies completely knocked it out of the park with Sam Raimi's Spiderman and Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogies setting the example of how to make a perfect comic-book movie if not a perfect movie in general. After that period was over, comic-book movies just became commercials for other movies, as the MCU and other studios trying to replicate its financial success, started making superhero movies for the sake of crossovers, sequels and...money. A movie wasn't a movie with beginning middle and end but a rather forgettable pop-corn flick that simply lacked a certain vision or quality. And then came "Joker". A movie that reminded me that movies based on comic-books can actually be relatable, visionary, groundbreaking and whole stories again. With all that being said I'd really like to wrap up the technical aspects of the film in order to get into spoiler territory. So, besides the amazing direction, brilliant writing, Joaquin Phoenix's Oscar worthy performance, the extremely suitable/haunting score and staggering cinematography that actually made me feel I was watching a movie shot in the 80ies, there's really nothing else to be told.
The movie is what we were promised...a character study. It truly stands by that. The camera stays with our protagonist for the entire runtime as we witness his transformation from a struggling everyday citizen to a vengeful murdering psychopath that despite the cruelty he displays in some scenes, he still has retained some of his human character traits unlike Heath Ledger's Joker who was more like a force of nature with no background or particular motivation in order for us to figure out what he was truly after. The movie opens with Arthur Fleck (our Joker) as he is bullied at work by a bunch of teenagers who harass and eventually beat him as he lays helpless on the pavement. We later see him at a psychiatrist's office where we actually understand what this man is going through, as he is tortured by an unknown disease that causes him pathological laughter when he is uncomfortable, disturbed or sad. The movie shows us this man's pain from the start as we learn that he's been a patient of some sort of asylum in the past and currently has to take 7 different medications a day in order to cope with his depression and mental illness. Phoenix does his absolute best to demonstrate Arthur's pain with the pathological laughter being chilling and masterful. I really bought the fact he was actually in pain while laughing his ass off. This condition is of great importance as it's an additional reason (maybe the most important one) for which the people that surround Fleck label him as a freak in addition to being one of the movie's most important plot points. He lives with his mother whom he cares for and dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian with his idol being Robert Deniro's character who plays one of America's most famous comedians and talk show hosts. Arthur is set up as an unreliable narrator from the beginning where he imagines himself to be on Murray's (Deniro) show with various subplots and scenes also being questionable, the most obvious example being his relationship with Zazie Beetz's character, Sophie who the movie implies he eventually kills for reasons that make perfect sense all things considered. The big twist is that his nonexistent father, up until that point is actually Thomas Wayne who currently runs for mayor. This adds a completely different layer to the story as Arthur is forced on a journey to meet his father. Thomas Wayne denies everything and reveals to Arthur that his mother is insane which leads him to discovering the truth about her who adopted him and at some point had allowed one of her boyfriends to abuse him which caused his mental illness and pathological laughter condition. This pushes him over the edge as he goes full Joker killing his mother which is the reason he also killed Sophie (Beetsz) who (as a single parent) would have most likely done a very bad job at raising her daughter in this gritty/cruel society, similarly to how his mother (who he now perceives as a villain) did. At last, he joins Murray's talk show after Murray himself released footage of Arthur trying to shine as a stand-up comedian, embarrassing himself in the process due to his laughing condition which leads to the movie's climactic outburst which truly is one of the best third acts I've seen in a movie due to the story perfectly building to it. The end didn't quite stuck with me at first but after considering it, I think it's implied that Fleck has been in that psychiatric ward, dreaming or narrating the events of the film to the psychiatrist with an early shot at the opening of the movie (where we briefly see Arthur busting his head on the door of a similar psychiatric ward wearing similar clothes) seemingly confirming that he might as well have been there all along (plus in both scenes he's talking to a psychiatrist so there is a thematic connection). Does this mean the events of the film didn't happen exactly the way we were shown or are they completely imagined by Fleck? I don't know but the movie is definitely setting itself up to be ambiguous since there are hints suggesting Arthur being adopted and abused by his mother's boyfriends could be lies as there is a scene in which Arthur picks up a photo of his young mother that Thomas Wayne had given to her signing "Love your Smile" on the background of the photo, implying a potential romantic relationship between them. Eventually, that is one of the things I love about this movie...the ambiguity. Did his mother adopt him and allowed his abuse or is Thomas Wayne really his father using his connections and power to cover it up? Have the events of the movie truly happened this way or are they completely imagined? I think Todd Phillips isn't going to share his thoughts on his true intentions any time soon and if you ask me...I rather never learn the truth.
All and all, "Joker" is pretty much like "The Dark Knight" in terms of how you take a movie based on comic-book characters and turn it into a genre movie that is as realistic as it is relatable. I'd also go as far as to say "Joker" is the exact opposite of "V for Vendetta" with both movies being two sides of the same coin. They're both standalone films with beginning middle and end as the main theme circles around the fascistic face of power and authority. "V for Vendetta" however, is a movie set in a futuristic, dystopian society that ends up having a hopeful and optimistic tone while "Joker" is a movie set in the filthy, overpopulated streets of a realistic past that ends up having a very depressing and pessimistic tone. As for the violence, the movie is not like most controversial movies (Fight Club, American Psycho, A Clockwork Orange etc.) that portray violence in a satirical way that sometimes is disturbingly cool. It is never satirical and it portrays violence as it is. It's not meant to be funny or cool by any means and the film is more of a warning for society that creates "Jokers" and less of an approval of its violence (it's actually not an approval at all). I think I've said anything I could. Clearly there are many things I didn't cover here as the movie respects itself enough to be complex and multilayered. As an enormous Batman fan and even more a movie fan, 2019's "Joker" has proven to be one of the best experiences I've ever had in a movie theater and I'm pretty sure this film is going down the road of becoming a classic.
EXCEPTIONAL: 9/10