THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING TODD PHILLIP’S JOKER
The Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime might have shattered numerous box office records, but not everyone’s laughing. In fact, despite winning the coveted Golden Lion Award and receiving an eight-minute long standing ovation at the Venice International Film Festival, the dark origin story of Arthur Fleck currently sits at 59% on the movie review site Metacritic. How is it possible that a movie so lauded by some is seen in such an opposite light by others? There’s obviously no one answer, but one probable explanation is the film’s supposed “glorification of violence”. Rather than violence being frowned upon, many seem to believe that Joker treats it as a plausible solution to the world’s problems. They see it as something that will inspire others into committing violent acts, with one critic calling it a “toxic rallying cry for self-pitying incels.” Is Joker really desensitizing us to violence, or is this entire controversy superfluous? Let’s break it down.
Like all good stories, we must start at the beginning, understanding exactly what the movie is about. I don’t want to give anything away, as I would not want to ruin the film for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet (which I highly recommend you do), so I’ll keep this as spoiler-free as possible. Our story begins with our main “protagonist”, Arthur Fleck, who suffers from occasional uncontrollable laughter. He gets by as a clown-for-hire, and we follow him throughout the day, as he goes to work and cares for his ill mother. Nobody seems to give him the time of day that he desires: only stares and silent judgement for his eerily creepy laughter. Arthur doesn’t seem to mind, though, and continues about his life. However, this all changes as we start to see everything fall apart in Arthur’s life. Slowly yet surely, we witness him undergo a transformation, which climaxes in a string of seemingly unprecedented violence that shakes Gotham at its core. Whereas you might have gone in to the movie supporting Arthur as those around him mistreat him, you can only sit there and feel uncomfortable as he undergoes his transformation into one of comic book’s most famous villains.
This plot may seem very straightforward, yet at the end of the film, I had more questions than answers.
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