Joker was one of the most anticipated films of the year. Fans had high expectations for this movie, especially with many being disappointed with the Joker portrayed by Jared Leto, in “Suicide Squad.” The film made 95 million dollars opening weekend alone, beating Venom from last year.
This film focused on Arthur Fleck, and his descent into becoming who we know the Joker to be.
Mental illness was a strong theme throughout the entirety of the film and the movie wasn’t afraid to dive deep and address some controversial issues. While it might have been disturbing to watch for some, it accurately showed how poorly our society can treat one another.
If you’re familiar with the Batman series at all, then you’d know that Joker was the number one enemy. He was always trying to cause mayhem to Gotham City and kill Batman. It would get to the point where you would start getting frustrated and start wondering when Batman would just end it. However, while watching this take on the Joker, one couldn’t help but actually feel sorry for him.
The movie showed just how our society can push the most innocent individuals to become what we would typically consider monsters. Daily abuse from family members, being bullied at by coworkers, and lack of decency and understanding from complete strangers can completely destroy a person. We never know what someone is going through just by looking at them, but we have to understand that everyone faces inner turmoil.
Over the years, the values and morals within society have drastically changed. You see it on social media all the time, people are constantly criticizing and degrading one another. It’s almost as if it’s become lame to be a decent human being. Arthur fully experienced this with his coworkers, his family, and complete strangers. You almost want to justify everything he did because of how he was treated throughout the entire movie.
Another theme showed in the film was the concept of the rich versus the poor. The way Arthur lived in the film compared to Gotham’s wealthy counterparts was exceptionally different. The drastic differences between the wealthy and the poor could be related to the real world. Poor neighborhoods and communities have issues having their roads repaired, but in the same place 10 minutes away, they have gated communities and roads free of potholes.
Arthur’s portrayal didn’t just show how evil our society can be, but it did a great job of sympathizing with the less fortunate. Ever heard of the phrase “eat the rich”? Well in this film, it adds deeper context to the phrase. It continues on the narrative that society drives people to become their worst possible selves.
Although Arthur’s character embraces the fact that some people lose themselves in this chaos, it shows that more people can relate to the topic than you think. We typically view ourselves as good people, but hardship, hunger, and abuse can change you. In the movie, the poor view the rich as the monsters which a large part of our present society echoes every day. But the movie shows the rich in such a positive light, it makes you wonder who’s really at fault.
It’s difficult to dive too deeply into these themes without dropping massive movie spoilers. However, I encourage you to take a deeper look at yourself and your surroundings. I implore you to reflect on how your actions can affect people in ways you would never imagine.
Arthur lived a terrible life, but at the core of it all… was he really a terrible human being?