One of the best essays on schizophrenia I've seen

Rating: 8/10 (9 October 2019)

I can't help but thinking bout 'Joker'. This being the fourth day since watching, I can't seem to shake it from my memory. I wanted to write a review right away, but I also wanted to read feedback from others, to insure I wasn't missing anything. Turns out, I wasn't.
Mental health is a subject I know quite a bit about but schizophrenia is something I haven't really experienced myself. There have been many films about the subject, however Todd Phillips masterpiece 'Joker', is probably the best mainstream take. I don't use that word "masterpiece" lightly, it requires so many elements and in a cinematic quagmire 2019 has become, seeing a film like 'Joker' is a breath of fresh air. Yes, people haven't forgotten how to make a good movie.
Now, I'm sure there is someone on here who was offended by 'Joker' and it's inhumanity, but that's kind of the point. Reality is, our protagonist is lacking the ability to reason properly and likewise, go a bit crazy from time to time in retaliation towards things which any rational human would also be upset by. It's just 'Joker', he just doesn't care anymore and armed with a snub nosed .45, he causes a bit of ruckus throughout New York, I mean Gotham. It's not because he was treated well, it's because he was lied to, manipulated and pushed around to the point of breaking.
'Joker' for better or worse, has a paper thin story, but it doesn't matter. Our journey is with Joaquin Phoenix, one of the industries most talented actors and nearly every frame has part of him in it. This very intense relationship between himself and the audience, is quite astounding. Every frame is rich in detail, bringing a level of realism to the character that makes his reactions almost feel good. "Joker" is a symptom of society and you almost HAVE to empathize with him, even though you know what he does is wrong. It's this internal struggle, which is the core of what makes this movie such a masterpiece.
Phillips took a basic and important story about a struggle happening to so many people these days and push it into the DC universe, so that everyone would want to see it. The film and character stands alone without the makeup, without the name. However, including the name "Joker" pushes it into another realm, with bigger financing and greater audience potential. It's those things that are the most clever aspects of this film. Otherwise, it would be another arthouse film like Joaquin Phoenix's phenomenal role in "The Master", one of my all-time favorite movies. This movie plays perfectly as a stand alone without the 2 minute scene that locks it into the DC universe. To me, that's good storytelling and even though reviewers everywhere are panning the film because they feel it's too shallow and panders to the DC universe too much, I disagree. One of the reviewers sticking points is the filmmakers ability to negate the entire story by the end. It's as if the audience has schizophrenia and is seeing/believing things that never happened. By the end, you're wondering how much of what you saw actually happened and what was up to interpretation.
The film was beautifully shot by a master cinematographer who initially was going to shoot on 35mm, but because Joaquin wanted to adlib much of the film in darkly lit locations, it was decided to shoot digitally for cost and time reasons. Warner agreed to make film prints however, as the Alexa 65's full-frame feel, translated really well to film. I was shocked how good the cinematography was, it looked and felt like an art piece. The editing, music and sound design were all spot on. There were so many technical challenges on the movie from huge scenes with thousands of extras in what appears to be downtown Manhattan, to a complete sub-story classic night time TV set that was used quite a lot. There were intense subway scenes that appear to be shot on the trains themselves. Heck, I only caught a few green screen effects in the movie, most of it was really shot on location. They had a great supporting cast from his mom to the TV show host played by Robert De Niro, both of whom did a great job. The 70mm print was excellent, not a single scratch or fleck of dirt and it always adds some depth to the film that the digital projection doesn't have.
I guess the only gripe I have about the film, is the laziness surrounding some of the ancillary characters and the lack of humility. However, it's overlooked because that's how Joker views them anyway, so in the long run, it doesn't matter. The lack of humility is part of the character and sure it would have been nice for the violence to be toned down a bit, I don't think it detracted from the film at all. Many people are concerned the story will instigate copycat's, but I don't think so. Yes the violence and subplots are concerning for younger audiences, I just don't think anyone wants to be Joker. I don't think anyone will idolize him to the point of being a copycat.
Honestly, I hope Phillips makes a Joker part 2, where he meets his nemesis Batman. Tell the Joker story from his point of view rather than Batmans. :)