We saw Joker yesterday.
JOKER MOVIE REVIEW
I had high expectations for this movie. Did it deliver? There were parts that were a bit dragging, but I can’t say that it didn’t deliver, because I left the theater satisfied with what I saw.
I think I felt satisfied because this movie pulls no punches and does not cop out. It really tells us that this Joker was a product of everybody’s failure, and even those who had no direct hand at causing the problem are also affected by it. We, all of us, should do our part to make the world a better place, basically. We should really try our best to make sure that no one falls through the cracks.
You know how they say that it takes a village to raise a child? Well, apparently, it takes a city like Gotham to produce a Joker.
A Character Study of Arthur Fleck
The movie follows Arthur Fleck, a struggling man with mental health issues who aspires to become a comedian. Is this part boring? Well, yes… a bit. It is a lot of watching this man dancing in his underwear.
However, Joaquin Phoenix is such an arresting actor that I was just mesmerized by his performance. Arthur really tries to be a good person but he just keeps being pushed down. When he starts cracking, I was still rooting for his redemption, even though we all know he ends up becoming the Joker.
This is not an action movie. It is a criticism of modern society and a cautionary tale urging all of us to be kinder to everyone we meet. This is a raw, character-driven piece of cinema that is masquerading as a comic book movie.
Cinematography and score – superb! The creamy color scheme is consistent and really evokes the early 1980s. The lens work is awesome – going wide angle to show how Arthur feels small and insignificant; focusing on Arthur’s face to the exclusion of everything else when he starts to feel that he matters. The music perfectly punctuates his change as he embraces his new self.
What If?
There is a book I read once called The Benevolence of Manners, and I feel like it’s such a perfect companion read for this movie. The book’s premise is that during the Victorian age, manners were not something that separated us (elites vs. peasants), but were developed as a way to integrate everybody into civilized society. Even the lowliest members of society were supposed to be treated with respect and civility. The measure of a man then wasn’t by how much money he had, but was by how well he treated others.
It makes one wonder what if. What if people were nicer to each other? What if adults didn’t take out their anger on children? What if children were taught restraint and empathy instead of acting out on bullying impulses? Could this have prevented crime? Could this have prevented school shootings? Could this have prevented the creation of The Joker?
SUMMARY
It might be boring for those who are not into this kind of movie, but this movie is just done so well that I can’t fault it for anything.
This movie has a lot to say about our modern world, and it really tells it.
