Hard to watch, hard to look away.

Rating: 10/10 (3 October 2019)

By the time the roll credits started to show up, I was still not prepared to properly rate this movie. I would say it's one of the most overwhelming experience I've had in the cinema. After letting it simmer for a while, I'm definitely confident to say that it's one of the best movies this year thus far.
The story of "Joker" shows us the downward spiral of Arthur Fleck, a down-on-his-luck comedian and a mentally unstable man with a disorder that prompts him to laugh uncontrollably at any situation that causes stress.
That's enough of a plot description, because what you are about to see is a harrowing journey that at some point will make you so uncomfortable you almost can't bear it. Not saying that it went too far, violence-wise, but it's almost too depressing to be entertaining.
Joaquin Phoenix embodies the character so well and convincing that you can't help but be in awe of what he has achieved here. It's almost a one-man show, to be honest. The side characters are sidelined (pun intended) just so we could witness his transformation from this meek, nice guy to the titular Joker. Still, Robert DeNiro as the talk show host also served as a highlight.
I'd also say that I was never bored throughout the 2-hour runtime, given the grim and oppressive nature of the story. The slow-burn pacing is top notch and contrasted with some gruesome violence. Yes, it has visual cues from Scorcese classics (the aforementioned "Taxi Driver" is one of them) but there's nothing to distract me as unoriginal or something of a copy and paste. Some developments are really surprising and managed to bring some intrigue that will bring viewers to question what's really true or not, most importantly how it ties with a particular character (you could guess who it is).
I gotta say that this has the best third act any movie could offer. My jaw dropped right at the climax for how audacious and sharp the way things were handled in it. There are powerful messages on how society works and how we should treat people with mental illness, especially to people like Arthur in this day and age that will resonate with me long after I watched it.
Overall, I do think it has a staying power to be an essential movie or a classic outside the comic-book genre. Despite the controversy and the polarizing reviews, I'd recommend seeing it for how it pushes the boundary in commercial and mainstream filmmaking.