Definite Villain Story ⏤ “Joker(2021)”
2019 ⏤ Drama/Crime/Thriller ⏤ 2H02M
It is clear that after seeing “Joker”, everyone had different opinions on the film. That is why people still debate about the film announcing the sequel on one of the most beloved villains. “Joker” is revolutionary for receiving the most nominations as a comic book-based film. Still, it is a bold move to create a Joker origin story outside of the DC comic book universe, which may have angered the large body of comic book fans. Nevertheless, despite all the negative comments, I consider this a clever choice.
The film steps out of the general superhero genre cliches and paints a realistic backstory for Arthur Fleck(Joaquin Phoenix), who eventually becomes a criminal mastermind, Joker. Since the origin of Joker is left ambiguous in the DC comics, the film leaves some important details unanswered. The writer/director Todd Phillips was able to offer fresh characteristics to Joker, free from the restraints of the DC universe. For instance, everyone knows Joker’s iconic laugh. This laugh is connected to Arthur Fleck’s mental condition, which makes him laugh uncontrollably. These original details made me anticipate how Arthur Fleck would turn into Joker. The 122 minutes of Arthur’s gradual descent into Joker had interesting visual points I noticed, and I would like to share them here.
“Joker” is a dark origin story of how Arthur Fleck turns into a notorious villain, Joker. Arthur Fleck is a party clown who visits children’s hospitals and dances with commercial signs to make a living. While he is only a clown, he yearns to be a stand-up comedian like a famous comedian, Murray(Robert De Niro). With a dark tone that sets the ambience from the start, the film doesn’t give off a hopeful impression that fictional characters will fly across the screen, saving the world. The overall atmosphere reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable” trilogy with the concept of super villain’s appearance in the real world.
Every character in the film feels very authentic, and even the violent scenes don’t leave any details out. Despite these graphic crime scenes, some people suggest that Joker is depicted as a twisted hero. So I chose to share a visual theme I found in “Joker” to say contrariwise. This visual theme includes, I think it’s safe to say, one of everyone’s favourite scenes. But first things first, I will start from the beginning.
Conventionally, the interpretation of the direction up and down in cinema is clear. “Up” symbolises success and (physical or mental)growth, while “down” signifies the opposite. So one of the fascinating scenes is Arthur climbing up the stairs, clearly tired and devastated by his day. Every step he takes to climb up to the top of the stairs is a struggle.
In other superhero genre films, the key scene is where a protagonist develops his hero character in an ascending direction. Every spider-man movie shows Peter Parker accepting his identity as a superhero and looking down on the city he has to protect from above. This position of the character(top of the building, usually) symbolises the capacity to protect the ordinary people below. However, in Arthur’s case, it is the direct opposite. Taking care of his mother, doing the best he can do in an unfulfilling job as a party clown, and keeping up to moral standards is a struggle for Arthur. As the camera looks up to Arthur’s back, climbing the stairs one by one, the stairs seem endless and overwhelming. It makes it clear that this isn’t a story of a hero. It is of a villain.
After the first stair scene, it’s mostly a steady descent for Arthur. Several incidents nudge him to the path of corruption, starting with getting fired from his work for carrying a gun. None of his colleagues defends him, even the one who gave him the gun in the first place. As he leaves, Arthur walks down the staircase and scribbles over the words, “Don’t forget to Smile!” making it into, “Don’t Smile.” Starting from here, Arthur’s connection to society gets cut off, one by one. And this is the first descent visualising the character letting go of his relationships.
The following descent is Arthur stealing his mother’s medical records. Arthur runs down the stairs not to get caught, with the files clutched in his hands. The truth he gets from this medical record pushes him to cut ties with his only intimate relationship, his mother. Here, Arthur not only runs down the stairs in descending motion but also the frame is looking down at the character. We, as the audience, could almost feel the degrading sensation that Arthur feels by this framing.
Finally, the final decline in the film is everyone’s favourite scene, as promised, the stair dance. I’ve mentioned earlier that these declines are meaningful for their contrast to the other character-building scenes. As opposed to the first scene where Arthur climbs up the stairs in an utterly defeated manner, he is finally happy as he lets go. He freed himself from the moral standards and obligations as he transformed into Joker. So the downward direction Arthur is headed isn’t all positive as it seems. It shows how he is a true villain to be content without the values that make him human.
Before I head on to the end, I want to elaborate on how “Joker” depicts the story of a villain by comparing it to the films that inspired the director Todd Phillips. Arthur’s role model is Murray Franklin(Robert De Niro), the show host of the Murray show. The presence of the actor Robert De Niro shows the influence this film has on Martin Scorsese’s films “Taxi Driver”(1976) and “The King of Comedy”(1982). There are fascinating links “Joker” has to these films. And the most obvious one is the Murray Show.
Murray Show’s visual theme is similar to that of the Jerry Langford show in “The King of Comedy”. And the most impressive similarity was how the camera films the show on a television screen rather than directly on set. In “The King of Comedy”, Rupert Pupkin(Robert De Niro) aspires to be a dazzling comedian such as Jerry Langford(Jerry Lewis) like Arthur does. Yet when Rupert finally succeeds in performing in Jerry Langford Show, the camera doesn’t show his glorious moment on stage. Ironically, Rupert’s performance is confined to a television screen with him standing next to the television, like a proud child showing his A+ report card to his parents. The pixelated screen of Rupert’s performance reflects Rupert’s illusion, chasing after Jerry without comprehending the consequences Jerry faces every day.
In “Joker”, Arthur watches Murray’s show and idolises him. He even dreams of himself on set next to Murray, who might as well consider Arthur like his son. As Arthur hangs on to this fantasy, the television in his home is placed at his eye level. However, when Arthur sees Murray making fun of him, the show is broadcasted on hospital television, which is placed way over his head. Fantasy reveals itself into a delusion as Murray mocks Arthur’s comedy act. Murray, who seemed as if he could be Arthur’s father figure, feels distant as the truth is uncovered. This noisy television screen shatters Arthur’s illusion of warmth and understanding.
The pixelated screen is a reminder of illusion in “The King of Comedy” but a reminder of truth in “Joker”. The screen represents how Murray is an unreachable person to Arthur. This gap between reality and illusion reveals itself through a conversation Joker and Murray share on the set. Murray makes it clear that even though there’s a story behind the killer, a criminal act cannot be justified. Yet Arthur claims how “right and wrong” is subjective, as comedy is. The concept of moral value, which Arthur abandoned for his freedom, is considered subjective to him. This dialogue from Arthur reveals where he is placed: at the bottom of the stairs.
The film ends with something which seems like an ascending action. Joker is lying on top of a broken police car, and the mob applauds him with clown masks on their face. Although Joker is placed higher than the crowd, that doesn’t necessarily mean he is in a higher position to act as a hero to the people. Let’s go back to “The King of Comedy”. The last scene conveying Rupert’s success after his release is still trapped inside a television screen as his performance in Jerry Langford Show. The idea of success Rupert dreams of himself is an illusion, not a reality. With all the connections the film “Joker” has to “The King of Comedy,” we can decipher that Joker isn’t a hero that people desire. It is an illusion similar to Arthur’s dream of being on the Murray Show. Joker envisions himself as a hero, but he is incapable of being one. This is the main reason why the dance on top of a police car isn’t a final scene. By showing Arthur imprisoned in a mental institute, the last ascend in the middle of a mob reveals its true purpose. It doesn’t suggest that Joker is a hero to the people: it indicates the illusion of it inside his head. With all the references and visual analogies, I consider it a perfect metaphor for Joker. Joker is a villain who paints himself as a hero.
“Joker” is an enjoyable film that challenges genre-specific movies with numerous clichès engraved into them. Films that defy genre tendencies like “Joker” are becoming familiar nowadays, and the experiments film-makers go through are interesting to follow. Also, a homage to the director Martin Scorsese in the film is a special treat for those who are movie fans. My final opinion on “Joker” is that it is an original film that can change how the genre works in the future. The visual cues of the film kept me intrigued to re-watch and analyse it. I think it was a big step for the superhero genre, and anticipate more movies like “Joker”. Although I am a bit disappointed that I cannot see Joaquin’s Joker in other DC comic films, I am glad to keep the character cherished in this film.
