"The worst part of having a mental illness is that people expect you to behave like you don't!"

Rating: 10/10 (7 October 2019)

Never did I expect "Joker" to have the impact on me it did! I went in expecting a grandiose, dark and twisted character study with a top notch lead performance and came out richly rewarded with that and so much more. Not only does "Joker" provide us with a unique take on the origins of The Joker, it also provides us with an in-depth character study on mental illness and the corrupt, narcissistic and anarchic society we all live In, but some of whom struggle to see, through their rose-tinted glasses!
.
The most important message I received which really hit me hard due to my own experiences with mental health and my own somewhat troubled past is the fact that anyone one of us could of potentially been or still could be a semblance of "The Joker," and Todd Phillips has, with this film, presented us with an articulate presentation on what personal trauma could possibly turn someone into the joker and what little is done to prevent such terrible things from unfolding.
.
I cannot help but think, wow, what if my life turned out like that, what if I went through all that pain and suffering, because it's real, this stuff has actually happened and is still happening all over the world. What kind of person would I of turned into? There's only so much a person can take before they snap, and once they do, could you really blame that person for breaking? Especially when the world is already broken. And when society shuns you to the side without listening, helping, supporting or caring, it's just like setting off a ticking-time-bomb, placing it in a busy crowd and then just waiting until it explodes.
.
Let's be honest, people don't want to understand or actually help, some are too scared to accept it and some are too up their own asses to even realise, and then when you finally feel brave enough to try and get medical help, they're just quick to label you with some sort of "mental illness," feed you some crap about how to "get better," prescribe you some meds and then send you on your way, most don't even care about knowing why you're actually feeling like this, and if they don't like what they hear or you're "too broken," they're quick to lock you up without bothering to find the true source of the pain and the actual cause or causes of said issues.
.
I'm not ashamed to say, there were times during this film where tears flooded my eyes due to the pain of Arthur Fleck. It truly broke my heart seeing, nay feeling what he was going through with no help at all, in-fact, quite the opposite; every kick in the gut was quickly followed up with more kicks to the gut, it is not a light story! The screenplay is constantly real, raw and quotable, constantly asking questions that really make you think. The score is riveting and definitely a highlight of the film, every chord that was struck shook me to my core, the soundtrack is pitch-perfect and the cinematography was beautiful and atmospheric.
.
There are truly no words for Joaquins performance, I was and still am completely blown away by his physical transformation and the authenticity of his character. Every scene he's in, just the look of his tormented face and his haunted expressions has you on the edge of your seat, terrified to find out what's going to happen next. How he manages to capture the true essence of Arthur's pain in one single laugh is absolutely harrowing and his delivery of every single line is venomous and of the utmost importance! If he's not atleast nominated for an Oscar, chaos will ensue, just like it did here!
.
The supporting performances where all perfect; they helped express the intensity and severity of the storyline and Joaquin's central performance. The brutality of this film is needed and personally all of the BS circulating this film is unwarranted. You cannot blame a film for potentially influencing violence because of its brutal and dark nature when it's giving a raw depiction of our world we live in now and when one of its main objectives is to shed a little light on what society could/should do to prevent these situations from ever happening. Everyone should see this film for the multiple insightful messages it provides, Joaquin's (fingers-crossed) oscar winning performance and Todd Phillips' unflinching direction! Must See!