Well-done portrait of the Joker, from inside to outside.

Rating: 7/10 (12 October 2019)

This was an intriguing examination of mental disorder and its causes. I believe that the movie was distinct with its direction of the storytelling from the get go, and I am glad that the film managed to handle the complex ambience. The character development of the Joker was well-choreographed by the phenomenal performance from Joaquin Phoenix, which was also accompanied by Todd Philips' balanced production.
However, there were some plot points that felt like it was not fitting the film. Especially the storyline that connects Arthur and the Wayne family did not work out. The concept of relating the origin of both character is not really new (considering Tim burton's 1989 batman) and it was not even laid out properly in the film. I think the movie took full advantage of the fact that the character joker represents a dubious background, which at some point raises questions toward the causality that surrounds Arthur. The whole effort to tie this film with batman universe felt unnecessary, and to some degree it disturbed the identity of the film.
Social commentaries were made regarding the movie; the film was said to be dangerous for its alleged romanticization of the violence that roots from the suppressed individuals. I disagree. The film did not glorify the route Arthur takes. Rather, the story was a depiction of the event that would likely to happen in a similar kinds of situation. The disturbance comes from its rawness, and the awareness originates from the disturbance. I admire Todd for not shying away from presenting every aspect of a human who has reached the rock bottom. That way this film portraits not only the joker inside of the movie screen, but also the "jokers" outside of the movie screen.
Overall the theme were nicely put, was projected in a form of Joaquin's exceptional acting, but the storyline had some unnecessary weight on it.
+Numerous symbolisms in the movie were extremely vivid, but the one that impressed me the most was the hospital scene in general. As Arthur dances in the hospital room filled with children, the movie accompanies the scene with a nursery rhyme "If you're happy and you know it." The lyric sings to stomp the feet if you are happy as Arthur stomps his feet vigorously (the movie emphasizes the movement quite a lot). Because of his excessive moves he accidentally drops a gun, which later becomes the very first event that triggers Arthur's development as a joker. The action of him trying to show the audience that he is happy results Arthur to reveal his gun, which I think is a metaphor of his vile instinct inside him. This interpretation could be along the line of over-analyzation, but to me at least it was an interesting component.