Beautiful, Mesmerizing and Haunting

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2019)

I miss Heath Ledger and can't get enough of his portrayal of Joker. He was intimidating, scary, unpredictable and all other things. In 2016, we got Suicide Squad and Jared Leto as Joker both of which disappointed me very much. After that, I thought that I don't want to see another Joker interpretation on the big screen. I was skeptical when I heard that a standalone Joker movie was in works. Then I heard about the casting of Joaquin Phoenix as Joker and I developed an interest in it because I love his work. He is a method actor and has given some of my favorite performances for example in Her (2013) and The Master (2012). I decided to see the movie in the theater after hearing a lot about the movie, good and bad and I am glad that I saw it.
This movie is really good, it exceeded my expectations and Joaquin Phoenix should get an Oscar for his work. He is phenomenal and I was blown away by his performance. His performance alone carries the whole movie and lets you experience and understand the character without saying much. His physique, movements, gestures, grace, way of speaking suggests that he gave his everything to make the character compelling and stand out from other Joker portrayals. He lost 52 pounds for the role. He embodied the character of Joker. Comparing his performance with Heath Ledger will be absurd. There is no common ground for comparison. Both interpretations of Joker are significantly different, the story is different, character motivations are different.
Now talking about the story, this is a standalone Joker movie that shows how a man beaten up, neglected and humiliated by the society turns into a maniac. This movie follows Arthur Fleck who works as a party clown and lives with his mother. He wants to be a stand-up comic. He suffers from a condition causing him to laugh uncontrollably. We feel his loneliness, depression, and condition and sympathize with him for it. All the other performances were also very good. This movie isn't that much violent as people are saying it to be, but it makes you feel the violence and it is unsettling. It also allows the viewer to form their perspective about the character. Sometimes you will agree with his actions and sometimes you won't. There are also certain funny scenes in the movie but not everyone may find it funny.
The movie is directed by Todd Phillips and he has done an outstanding job. I didn't think that the guy who made The Hangover movies can pull this off, but he did it. He showed that as a filmmaker, he can make more than just R rated comedies. The film is set in 1981 and the period is very well reflected in the movie. The cinematography is top-notch. Shot composition, camera placement, camera movement has been handled well. I was surprised by how good the Gotham city looked, beautiful and dirty at the same time. Each scene had a color scheme. The lights in the surroundings like light from streetlights, cars or the sky illuminated everything with their light. Joker/Arthur Fleck's emotions get conveyed through shades of light falling on him which is beautiful to look at. Music is beautiful, chilling, hypnotizing and speak lengths about the inner feelings of the character.
I have just a few issues with the plot of the movie and how some things happen which shouldn't have happened or couldn't have happened, rest the movie is flawless.