Feels like watching a documentary

Rating: 7/10 (24 November 2019)

When I watched Joker, I felt slightly underwhelmed. I couldn't really put my finger on whatever my problem with the film was, but after getting some distance, I can.
It has quite some terrific acting. On a technical level (production design, cinematography, etc.), it's very pleasing to watch. My problem however, is the story: there is, at least in my opinion, no shock, no turning point, no surprise. It feels like watching a documentary. You aren't supposed to develop sympathy for Arthur, nor cheer for him, you are just meant to understand him. But to understand the fact that unchecked poverty and chained misfortune can drive a person into madness, I don't have to watch a movie.
There are quite a few scenes which are rather open to interpretation, including the ending, but whatever interpretation you prefer, at best, Arthur is slightly "more in the right", but it changes nothing to the finale and that one is kind of unambiguous. You are bearing witness to a logical string of events which result in a foreseeable outcome. By the end of the movie, I don't really know what makes Arthus special in the world he's in. Maybe that's the point, that he's not, and it's fine, as he is not like the other Jokers. It still makes me wonder: what was the "point" of it all? It'd be a bit of an unfair understatement to call the whole thing trivial, but there seems to be no moral, no back and forth, no question at the end. It's just a plain road of a simple-minded man to hell.
I'd still suggest it to specific people, but I don't think 10/10 is justified.