Joker: A Slow Ascension into Madness

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2019)

This was difficult to watch at times, but hella captivating throughout. Arthur's reasoning is believable, his sanity is questionable, and his life is indeed one hell of a joke. Like watching an extreme example of what happens when people on the lower end lose access to social programs. This can very easily be taken as a commentary on mental illness kept unchecked. More than that, it's a story about a guy who accepts his "crazy" and transcends poverty, circumstance, and societal... at everyone else's expense.
Don't expect Joker to be a feel good movie. I mean, unless you're into really dark humor and comeuppance. It's the kind of film to discuss with others afterward and really think about for awhile. If you want a 2-hour Cards Against Humanity experience, see it with others. If you don't want to fail other people's litmus tests, absolutely do not.
While others were (constantly) reminded of Taxi Driver (1976) and King of Comedy (1982), only the former of which I've seen ~10 years ago, I was not thinking of any other films the entire time.

Things I Liked:
1) The notebook.
2) When she tells it like it is.
3) The first solo dance.
4) The way the third (staircase) dance was done, especially at the end.
5) The sadness of Arthur.
6) The kindness of Arthur.
7) When the Joker is fully formed.
8) The tensity of the "talk" scene.
9) When the body is laid on the hood.
10) The disturbing feel of the last dance.
11) The fact that I'm pretty sure I saw Donald Glover with a cloth covering his mouth at the end.
12) How oddly it sat with me while I watched the credits.

Favorite Joke:
"The worst part about having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you DON'T."

Statement:
1) When your savior is a madman, there's either something wrong with society or something wrong with you. Probably both.
2) I can see the potential problem with this film being released in the US right now. On a certain level, we didn't need this with our current political climate. On another level, the matters of class, social programs, mental illness, medication, and who gets to decide are all worth portraying. Meh.
3) If you know your kids are gonna see this one way or another, consider seeing it with them and starting a conversation about its topics after.

Question:
Was Arthur right?
Was Joker?

Disclosure:
I watched and discussed the film with a very diverse group of people.