Look past the violence and understand that it is not what this film is about.

Rating: 10/10 (6 October 2019)

I just went to my local movie theater and saw Joker and can honestly say that it is one of the best movies that I've seen this year, and one of the best dramas and performances I've seen in a long time. Joaquin Phoenix truly shines and gives an oscar-worthy performance. As I was walking out I happen to see two police officers as well as a sign that said that if you wore Joker mask or put on face paint that you would be escorted out. I do not understand why people think that this movie is going to cause people to commit violent Acts or that they would even wear face paint or masks after the first showing of the first show Thursday at midnight. This movie is about Mental Health, not violence and people need to stop trying to strike fear into people because they are doing exactly what causes Arthur Fleck to become unhinged in this film. They're no better than the people who mistreat this man in the film.
This movie is about mental health in the sense that the main character is mentally unstable. He regularly goes to counseling sessions and keeps up with medication. The thing that drives him towards violence is the world around him. As you heard from the trailer and you'll hear in the movie, Arthur Fleck says that his mother told him that he was made to bring joy and happiness to people in the world, and he genuinely tries to do that through the art of clown, but with the way people are nobody can see that or understand that that is how he is trying to convey joy and love to the world, but the world does not want to convey joy and love and kindness back. Instead they beat down a man who is already been beaten down, and caused him to finally snap and believe that violence was the only answer, since it seemed to be the only thing that brought joy to people around him. He found a way to bring joy and happiness of the world just as his mother had told him he was put on this Earth to do.
Arthur says that he used to think his life is a tragedy but realized it was a comedy. This movie is incredibly tragic. When we cut funding for people who desperately need it to get counseling, and to feel better and understand themselves and their illness there are bound to be some problems. We all say that we want everybody to keep up a happy veneer and pretend to be happy for the sake of everybody else that nobody is sad, and this movie shows what that idea can do to people. It is not possible to be happy every single day of your life and most the time it's impossible to keep up the veneer that everything is great and you are happy to the people around you. If they cared they would know and understand when you are feeling down or unstable and come to you to help you or at least try to get you some help. Nobody comes to Arthur to help him in his time of need and he finds a solution by himself, which is not to say a acceptable or good solution, but a solution none the less. A solution that brings him joy and happiness that he should have never had to have picked in the first place. Thomas Wayne is the true villain in this movie, not Arthur Fleck. Arthur Fleck had no control of what people were going to do, or honestly what he was even going to do because, and I'm going to emphasize this again, he is mentally unstable and not able to make sound and sane decisions by himself in without help.
This movie is a rally cry to show people that there are people who are unstable and in pain all around them, we are just too blind to see them and do not want or care to do anything about it.