Joker: the liberation of madness
By Pete North - December 15, 2021
A few people lately have recommended I watch Joker. So I did. It’s the origin story of Batman’s most notorious antagonist. It basically tells the story of a mentally ill man (Arthur Fleck) with debilitating social problems who is feared, mocked and ignored by society, and increasingly isolated in a world that doesn’t care about him. As an independent political bogger it doesn’t take a great leap to identify with the protagonist.
The plot gradually paints a picture of a pitiable man, but with a strand of dangerous narcissistic psychopathy who’ll do just about anything for any kind of acknowledgment. It’s kind of like watching the evolution of a blue tick Twitter account.
I don’t want to say all that much about the plot. It’s good but it’s overrated. It’s well produced, the lead acting performance is outstanding, but it’s a bit too long and a bit too serious. It only stands out because it’s so well executed when most Hollywood output of this era is derivative, bland and badly written, using generic CGI as a crutch to get it over the finish line. Joker is more than that.
Where it succeeds is that it’s a plausible backstory for the Joker, who is ultimately a product of his surroundings and his troubled childhood. It’s speaks to that universe – the Gotham City we know to be in the grip of crime, poverty and corruption, where ultimately, committing an atrocity is the only way for the protagonist to get noticed. The film isn’t out to lecture or use the character as a platform for social justice messaging. It’s just about one man’s descent into madness.
In that, there is clear character arc, from the innocent and sympathetic to the monstrous. A man consumed by bitterness and self-pity. From redeemable to beyond redemption. One can then imagine how this story informs what the Joker is when portrayed by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. A rich character with a hint of ambiguity but ultimately one who can only succeed at evil deeds.
What’s interesting about this film is the reaction of critics who’ve accused it of glorifying incel culture even going as far as saying it has white supremacist intent. I suppose if you go looking for those kinds of messages, you could probably concoct a halfway plausible argument, but it says a lot that they went looking for political message in the first place. They can’t cope with the idea that, just for once, there isn’t one. It’s just a story. Race and gender are not relevant to the story. It’s not an anti-capitalist film, nor is it flying the flag for a cause. It’s about human frailty and how a cold uncaring world can make monsters of us all.
Though the Dark Knight trilogy attempted to be darker and gritter, it still possessed a certain high fantasy quality to it that made it a good old fashioned superhero yarn, with a little bit of something for everyone, but Joker is darker and grittier by way of of its mundanity. The violence is sparing, cold and ordinary, which somehow makes it more chilling. The coldness of Arthur Fleck’s world is its own brutality.
When modern cinema goes over the top with just about everything, Joker is beautifully understated in every respect, providing a welcome antidote to the dreary conveyor belt of franchise killing reboots and spinoffs. Joker would work just as well as a standalone film without reference to Bruce Wayne or Gotham. Arguably comparable with Falling Down, it’s ultimately a exploration of what happens when a man reaches his breaking point – where there’s no longer the energy or incentive to be good. It’s about the liberation of madness.
Joker will probably never get the recognition of the Heath Ledger outing, not least because it’s a dry and subdued film, but will almost certainly become a cult classic, and Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Arthur will go down as one of the outstanding performances of the decade. I think probably that it’s just too sophisticated for the critics even though audiences have raved about it. Only when studios pay more attention to audiences rather than activist critics will Hollywood recover its capacity to inspire and entertain us.
