Ctitics Miss the Boat

Rating: 8/10 (20 October 2019)

I think a lot of reviewers and critics did not watch this movie to the end. For example, read Morgenstern's review at WSJ. The movie can only be understood if you stay fir the last scene. In the last scene Phoenix is in a mental hospital talking to a nurse. This movie is about mental illness. It has nothing to do with Batman. Phoenix is mentally ill. Throughout his life he was mis-treated, abused, made fun of, and abandoned by his family and society. He is delusional and his experience is reflected by the illusion of the Batman/Joker comic. The "Joker" is a delusion of this mentally ill person who was on meds and had them taken away. The movie is his fantasy of rebellion and revenge. I found this a very powerful and somewhat brilliant way of addressing mental illness. The reason why it is misunderstood is because it involves gun violence but does not condemn it. Morgenstern's review is a good example. The pc cause du jour is gun violence, not mental illness.