I went to see Joker with my wife the other day, and I’ve got to say — this is one of those rare films that blends great entertainment with important societal themes, supported by an outstanding performance by Joachim Phoenix as Joker. I’m not sure why the “the” is omitted — Joker rather than The Joker — but I’ll refer to the character as just Joker to align myself with the film.
One key theme throughout is the way that mental illness is treated in society. Arthur Fleck (who later morphs into Joker) has a mental condition that makes him laugh hysterically, even to the point of it being physically painful, when he is under duress. As a result, Arthur is ostracized by those around him, whether it be his boss and co-workers at the clown dispatching service where he works, the social worker who asks the same old questions each time they meet, the three Wayne Enterprises jerks he ends up killing, the late night talk show host played by Robert De Niro. The film makes no judgments over right or wrong, but leaves us feeling a certain amount of sympathy for Arthur despite the evil incarnate he will later become. An underlying message is that an unfortunate upbringing (nurture rather than nature) can produce an unhappy, unproductive, and “failed” adult, but the addition of a few unfortunate turn of events can transform that relatively innocuous adult into a complete monster.
Another theme is the enmity between the rich and the poor. In the city of Gotham, where crime and unemployment is high and rising, the head of Wayne Enterprises Thomas Wayne is the target of vitriol from the masses. Wayne is running for mayor of the city. At the same time, Wayne looks down on the poor as people who didn’t make the effort necessary to become successful, labeling such people envious “clowns”. The film thus smartly projects an undertone existent in the real life U.S. today, except in real life it’s rich politicians (read: the millionaires Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders) bashing people who are even richer — the usual suspects in tech and finance: Bezos, Zuckerberg, Goldman Sachs bankers, hedge fund kings. I don’t think the standoff between the rich and poor will ever be over unless we completely dismantle our current democracy and wholesale adopt communism — this is possibly the worst political idea ever but is increasingly being touted by the likes of Warren and Sanders, who are millionaires (oh the irony).
A New York Times opinion piece recently stated:
A black man in Gotham City (really, New York) in 1981 suffering from the same mysterious mental illnesses as Fleck would be homeless and invisible. He wouldn’t be turned into a public figure who could incite an entire city to rise up against the wealthy.
Lawrence Ware, The New York Times, Oct 9 2019
I have my own doubts about this statement, but since I don’t have first hand knowledge of New York City in 1981, I’d just say that there are plenty of homeless and invisible white people (in particular white men) in modern day society, and that poverty can have detrimental effects on all people and is not something exclusive to blacks. The opioid crisis, I believe, is something that primarily impacts poor white men, for example. Too often, people try to make something into a racial issue when in fact it really isn’t. I don’t think Joker is about race.
I’m not a film critic, but I’d give Joker a full 5 stars and I think Phoenix has delivered an Oscar worthy performance. Highly recommend it to anyone but note the R rating.
