T-REVIEWS : JOKER
No better line describes the movie "Joker". Joaquin Phoenix's rendition of Joker created an explosive cinematic buzz, gaining applause for his magnificent performance of the character who has been portrayed by other impressive names such as Jared Leto, Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson. Did he stand out among the others, I truly would say so. Underneath so much paint, his eyes alone expressed a sad, misunderstood, weird and frightening character.
For a film that contains so much laughter sound effects, it sure is a sad one to watch. The truth was I was hesitant to watch Joker because I wasn’t sure if I want to sit through a noir film especially when I have been feeling generally down this year. But the rave surrounding the movie changed my mind and I am glad I found a cheerful movie partner who is willing to sit with me through this very deep and intense movie.
Pardon me for the long post ahead, but discussing these type of movies is a field trip for an ex-film studies student who no longer know where she stands in the film industry.
This is the story of the birth of the Joker but metaphorically, it explores why certain people become who they are. Beneath the layers of intricate content, the underlying theme of the piece is obvious; various factors affect behaviours or the actions of a person; that we should always try to understand others from their standpoint.
The Joker appears to be the weirdo and the bad guy, when he is in fact just unwell due to his unfortunate childhood. All he wanted to do was find happiness but various incidents had let him down. Murray Franklin seems like a nice TV host but I find this character conceited and arrogant. He talks and acts with inconsideration.
Joker illustrates how circumstances do play a part in our decisions and path, but it really is what we choose to do with our lives that sets us apart. Both Bruce Wayne and Joker are troubled with the chaos in Gotham City, with their own sets of childhood complications. Both characters are quite similar and they both fought for Gotham city in their own ways. In a way, they are heroes. But I guess Joker is still a mentally disturbed person who no one understands and is getting no help, so he is more tormented, which eventually led him to choose violence as his “voice” while Bruce grew up to be the more approved superhero everyone loved.
I feel a pinching sadness watching the film, especially when the Joker laughs. It reminds me of situations where we try to force ourselves to be happy when we are not just to survive another day. Well, it does work most of the time but I guess when you are depressed, it is just tiring.
The film also suggests that happiness is subjective and superficial. Just because you are laughing, that doesn’t mean you are happy or that you find something funny. It could be irony. And if you are not smiling, it also doesn’t mean you are unhappy. The face itself doesn’t represent your true emotions.
Another theme I felt was injected in the film was to accept yourself for who you are. It is worth mentioning that the Joker has been sad his entire life, but only when he found out that he is delusional and mentally ill that he came out to accept his true self, transforming into the villain we know he is. At that, we saw him truly happy. This for me translates to “being yourself”.
Ironically, being the Joker also sees him hiding behind a mask, which means he can’t be happy being who he truly is. As the Joker behind a mask, he is seen and respected, which was something he had always wanted. The ending scene of him with the crowd in the mass of destruction was a beautiful one because I love that he got his redemption and also felt truly happy. I think he deserves at least that. I thought the movie should have ended there because whatever that is after that, doesn’t make much sense to me.
Being quite judgmental myself (I’m only human), the film serves as a great reminder that we should always put ourselves in other people’s shoes and that your head could get blown off if you are NOT NICE.
At the end of the day, I think we are all Jokers in some ways. We hide behind a mask of insecurities, of unhappiness, of what makes us who we are. We have masks for different occasions ; our mask is what we want people to see us as, like Joker - seen and respected. If you are lucky, you just need to wear your masks less.
p/s: Soundtrack is amazing and when played in the movie, served as its own form of satire!
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