Todd Phillips’ 2019 film Joker is a reimagining of the iconic Batman villain, offering an intimate insight into the life of a man – Arthur Fleck – who is trying to survive on the margins of a greedy society. Arthur struggles with mental illness and societal neglect and eventually reinvents himself as the well-known comic book villain – the Joker. Phillips challenges audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about alienation, inequality, and the consequences of systemic failure, by utilising and reinventing a familiar figure against the backdrop of decaying Gotham City to reflect a troubled modern era.
The rage of the film is directed at the state and the elite. The ‘villains’ of the film are generally accepted to be Thomas Wayne, the CEO of Wayne Industries who is entering politics on a platform attacking the poor; Arthur’s job, from which he is fired and made to pay for a sign which was stolen from him; and the state, which cuts funding to social services and restricts his access to necessary medication. Throughout the film, Arthur takes his anger out on individuals who are representative of these people/institutions as well as the elite class in general. Arthur’s first three murders are against affluent White men who worked at Wayne industries, before he then goes on to murder a former colleague whose actions resulted in him losing his job, and then TV host Murray Franklin – a wealthy and influential man who humiliates Arthur on live television. However, it should be noted that although Joker actively attacks the wealthy and powerful within Gotham society, all demographics are portrayed in a negative light, creating an overwhelming sense of nihilism and despair throughout the film.
Violence is also a prominent theme in Joker. Phillips suggests that violence does not come out of nowhere, nor is it the result of inherently bad people acting on their impulses, but rather violence is a complex issue resulting from a myriad of individual and social factors. Although it could be argued that, given the abuse Arthur endured during his childhood, it was likely that he would exhibit similar behaviours later in life, this outcome was not inevitable or unavoidable in any way. Violence in Arthurs case is enabled by a government which cuts funding to social services and a society which does not support him in any meaningful way. In fact, we see violence perpetuated against Arthur before we ever see him act violently himself, and even in the case of the first three murders on the subway, Arthur’s actions initially come from a place of self-defence. This is not to say that his actions are justified, but simply that violence within the film, as reflective of real life, is a complex issue with no clear distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Joker is an indictment on the society that made him what he is.
Joker is a visually stunning film, with everything from its aesthetics to its shot composition making important contributions to our perception of the characters and the message of the film. Camera movement plays a critical role in conveying Arthur’s emotional state, and so this changes throughout the film to reflect how he develops as a character. In some scenes, such as when Arthur is in his apartment, Phillips opts for a selection of static shots, alluding to the entrapment he feels in this environment. At other points, reportage style is used to add a raw and intimate quality to Arthur’s journey, immersing the audience and making us feel as though we are witnessing his unravelling in real time – an unsettling feeling. This is exemplified in the scene where he dances on the staircase – the camera moves fluidly almost like a dance partner; he is now liberated and unrestrained in contrast to how we saw him in his apartment.
Further, Arthur’s alienation is often visually demonstrated through Phillips’ framing and composition, in which Arthur can frequently be seen positioned off-centre within the frame and surrounded by empty space. These wide shots not only highlight the desolation of his environment, but it emphasises his isolation and disconnection from the world around him.
In terms of the aesthetics of the film, the predominant colours are various shades of yellow and green, contributing to our perception of Gotham City as decaying and unkept. Similarly, Phillips’ use of muted tones and shadows create a sense of urban melancholia surrounding Arthur. The absence of colour and light has been proven in numerous research studies to be a risk factor in depression and anxiety, and this absence is notable throughout the film. Even in scenes where Arthur is at his therapist’s office – a poorly lit and dull room, it seems ironic that the environment intended to improve his mental wellbeing could be having the opposite effect.
Leave a Reply