Spoiler Warning: Joker (2019)For anyone who has not seen Joker, pause for a second, turn your smart television or laptop on, and stream this movie before finishing this article (trust us, it's worth watching). When this film first came out in 2019, the surrounding buzz was gigantic. Joaquin Phoenix was awarded an Oscar at the 2020 award show for his impeccable performance of Arthur Fleck. The film quickly became the top R-rated movie of all time, dethroning 2018's Deadpool 2 while grossing over one billion dollars at the box office. It's a lot to take in, but this has to be one of the best representations of the character of the Joker to date, along with Heath Ledger's iconic performance.
Even before the film came out, most of the scenes were shot in the location of Downtown Newark, New Jersey. Every night, there was a sea of lights that many residences could notice, even from the elevated distance of their high-rise apartments. Shinning through the midnight sky, as Phoenix emerged from a crowd full of production officials in a bright red suit, topped with lime green flowing hair and dark red face paint (well, we believe it was face paint, but again this is Joker we're talking about), forming a sadistic smile.
The central message behind Joker is an important one. It emphasizes the consistent levels of pain, heartbreaks, and endless mental challenges that ordinary people face on a daily basis. While we're free to speak honestly in this safe space, most people who face similar issues do not take the same avenues Arthur has chosen for himself. At the same time, watching the film as a viewer allows us to connect with his character through the series of highs and lows he's faced with. What made fans of the DC universe enthralled to find was the normalcy in Arthur Fleck, an entity we have all known to label as Joker, but instead providing context into his backstory. Going from an inspiring comedian to a heartless criminal mastermind who disregards the emotions of his fellow victims, the journey we're taken on produces a roller coaster of emotions and, at times, tear-jerking moments.
Stay with us as we take in all the factors that cemented Fleck's inevitable transition into his role as Joker.
The Relationship Between Arthur and His Mom
Arthur's relationship with his mother, Penny Fleck (Frances Conroy), sends viewers on a whirlwind filled with emotional instability, established solely on pretenses. In a significant portion of the movie, we see Arthur holding on by a thread to take care of his mom, as he also struggles to take care of himself. The backstory behind his birth and upbringing is central to his life as an adult. However, the same backstory conveyed to him by his mother, ends up being more disturbing and sinister than imaginable. As we later find that Penny also suffers from a range of mental instabilities, Arthur becomes irate in the lies she has told him that ultimately sets the fuse of his downward spiral.
Arthur Sought but the System Failed
What's heartbreaking about Joker is the level of heartache most viewers can feel for Arthur. Disassociating him from his future criminal escapades (and iconic run-ins with Batman), we see a man who tries his best to live a normal life. As he works by day as a clown, promoting a series of external businesses, he's jumped by kids on the street as bystanders look away.
At one point, we also see Arthur confiding in his social worker (who also seems to be uninterested in his pleas for further assistance) that he has reoccurring bad thoughts and needs different avenues to help with his worsting mental condition. Later on, it is revealed that the office where Arthur goes to vent will be shut down, causing panic because he will have no way of receiving his much-needed medications. The inevitable, Arthur reached out for help multiple times by those he trusted most. The thing is, no one wanted to take the time out to actually help him. His disappointment after disappointment manifested into anger, resentment, hatred, and now a community that stands with him by the film's ending. It's difficult to say that his choices could have been prevented when it seems as if every choice has brought him to this moment.
As we wait on a word to confirm whether Joker 2 will happen, fans are still reeling from the first Joker, transforming how long-time fellow viewers of the DC universe analyzed the character. Plagued by a series of disturbing childhood traumas, personality disorders, and societal let-downs, Arthur Fleck created an idealistic persona that rose against social constructs that he believed aimed to take him down. The difference between previous projects that portrayed The Joker and this one is the build-up viewers can see in Author, as he seamlessly adapts to his villain-esque role in the end.