Analysis/Opinion The Joker is ultimately a criticism to collective bullying and inhumanity, an inhumanity that alienated and inspired the joker to start a violent revolution.

Rating: 10/10 (18 March 2020)

"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful." Marie Curie
I was expecting to see a narrative radically different than what I saw at the cinema. Normally the joker is this anarchistic, sociopath, maniac with delusions of grandeur. The movie starts with a person that is struggling with mental health problems, trying to help his family and suffering at different levels, a destitute. I was taken aback by the detour in the narrative and was not sure if I agreed with the tone of the movie, but as I got to know Joaquin Phoenix's joker I started to become enamored with the angle the director gave the character, but why?
The renditions of the joker that I got to see exhibited a sociopath that was at worst passionate and manic. Other jokers were excellent at many different levels, so clearly I expected less than what heath ledger masterfully demonstrated in the black knight and others. This joker was different, beautifully multi-dimensional. It showed the humanity and the degeneration of a common man that was attempting to survive precarious circumstances, a person that attempted to resist the ravages of mental problems until his last ounce of sanity. To be fair all that he wanted was to be accepted, respected, and make people laugh, but was so inadequate that he was collectively pushed into insanity and psychopathy.
Joaquin Phoenix's joker does a brilliant performance demonstrating the character's manic depressive nature. The laugh that spills sadness and frustration every time he shows it, shamelessly, the fearlessness to demonstrate his value and be accepted despite his shortcomings, the inability to be conscious that he has a distorted sense of humor, all of this with facial gestures of sadness, frustration, anger, resentment. Joaquin Phoenix's joker is one of the most complete and complex characters I have seen in any film.
The Joker is ultimately a criticism to collective bullying and inhumanity, an inhumanity that alienated and inspired the joker to start a violent revolution. How much should we help the weak, handicapped, or inadequate? In this fictitious case the lack of help contributed to the emergence of a criminal. How many people do we collectively push into crime by giving them inhumane circumstances? The joker was on the verge of mental breakdown half the movie and society failed him by removing mental health services. The verdict of the movie is that not even if people are benevolent and wish the best for others can they live a dignified lifestyle if society overburdens them with obstacles and punishment.
It's interesting to analyze the symbolism of the joker. Robert de Niro stars as Murray Franklin a tv show host that both the joker and his mother idolize. Murray ends up making fun of the joker for being a terrible comedian and an embarrassment. After the joker becomes a viral sensation Murray invites him to his show and as a symbol of his disgust and disdain for elitism and bullying he ends up killing Murray. Murray's death symbolizes the end of entertainment, distraction, and hedonism. It symbolizes the connivance of people to the decadent state of the culture of gotham city. Why are you so serious? "Why so serious" is a criticism of the idea that people are so immersed in their hedonism that they hurt themselves by not acknowledging what really matters in life. Let's put a smile in that face of yours is a tangible symbol of permanent and clear evidence of how much they have been scarring themselves by chronically trying to entertain themselves and forget about others.
The joker will undoubtedly be one of the movies that popularize the idea that even if people are good and benevolent nurture or society can create a monster. It has a very deep impact considering the time we live in with incel culture and systemic violence. It is a powerful message that will stay with me for years to come.