Joker - A comic movie unlike any comic movie before

Todd Phillips' anticipated origin movie "Joker" has finally premiered. I have to say that the hype surrounding it, is more than justified because it is simply a master piece. 

Minor spoilers ahead

First I have to say that the movie would have worked just fine maybe even better, without having a connection to any comic book but it is an interesting take on the Joker's origins. 

The lead as we meet him is Arthur Fleck, a man who lives with his mother and suffers from mental health problems. He obviously tries to lead a decent life and to do the right thing, but he keeps encountering obstacles until he snaps. The interesting thing is, that because the audience knows it is the Joker's origin story they know that he is going to snap from the start. Since the destination of the journey is already known, the audience can focus on the path. How does a weird but nice guy become the psychopath we know from the comics? It is a horrifying thought but as his journey unfolds it makes shockingly a lot of sense and society itself is responsible for it in no small part, as Arthur is bullied by several people throughout the movie. 

The result is a capturing character study, that at times makes us root for him, despite the things he does or is about to do. For the audience comes to the realization once more that the world is indeed composed of the shades of grey and sometimes white can appear black and vice versa. 

At one point in the movie the viewer realizes that what seemed to be part of the story was one of Arthur's delusion. From this point onwards the audience questions everything, just as a person with mental health problems might question everything. 

The movie tackles mental health problems in an indirect way, as it is never directly in focus but something lingering beneath the surface and that mirrors reality. While many people suffer from mental health problems and are significantly influenced by those in their daily lives, it is not the only thing that defines them. There is one phrase used by the Joker, I find personally quite haunting: 

The worst thing about having a mental illness, is that people expect you to behave as if you don't. 

This sentence is as true as it is sad. Most people are understanding about such things as depression, but they usually don't want to witness them by seeing anybody cry or a panic attack. They expect you to swallow it until you are out of their sight.

The script is surprisingly deep and to be honest I didn't expect anything this good from Todd Phillips, who is mostly known for light comedies. This will surely open a lot of eyes to his talent. 

But the true star is of course Joaquin Phoenix performance, who is a definite Oscar contender already and might even have the power to eclipse Heath Ledger's  legendary Joker. Joaquin Phoenix adds an incredible vulnerability to the character and makes him almost sympathetic, despite the fact that we know what he is about to become. He does this almost by himself, as he interacts seldom with other characters in the crucial scenes and without big speeches for the the most parts. He plays Arthur's descend into madness, which also feels like he gives in to his mental illness, in such a subtle way, that it feels completely authentic. As my friend, who went with me to the movie pointed out: This movie feels oddly realistic for a comic book movie. 

Despite all these brilliant parts, the movie has also its downsides. On occasions the editing should have been different, as the pace seems uneven at times to the point of destraction. In addition although Phoenix performance makes almost up for it, it would have been nice to have someone more to interact with his character. While Robert deNiro's character Murray Franklin fullfills this role towards the end, one can't but feel it should have happened sooner. 

All in all the movie is a masterpiece and hopefully people will see beyond the comic book relation and realise its intake on mental illness and how society can influence it for better or for worse.