Joker & Mental Illness

I understand Joker is a divisive film. I also understand its a hard film to watch. But no one is talking about what Joker does so right; accurately depicting mental health. I saw Joker about a week ago. Though deeply disturbed within a few minutes, it was pretty evident the film had layers upon layers of commentary on how current societies treatment of mental illness is lacking.

Obviously, Joker is a departure from the current superhero fanfare. Absent is glitter, large explosions and action sequences. Instead, Joker is focused on the psychosis of Arthur Fleck and how a seemingly ordinary man can descend into madness amidst a society that seriously struggles to protect its most vulnerable.

The concept of evil has always been portrayed and propagated as something impenetrable and unknowable. It is a common understanding that evil exists as something separate to us, that our moral resolve is capable of fending it away. Joker battles against this misconception through its realistic portrayal of the circumstances that can push someone to become evil.

Question: is to understand where evil comes from the same as condoning it? There is a distinct line between empathy and approval that the film treads carefully. Todd Philips’ direction only allows our empathy for Arthur to extend to the point to which he kills someone. We can understand where Arthur is coming from, but the film isn’t celebrating nor condoning his actions. This is done in large part due to Joaquin Phoenix’s nuanced performance of a pathetic yet sympathetic man who, in a domino of unfortunate events, becomes a performance artist of violence and a sign of chaos.

The thing that separates Arthur from the others he is unfairly compared to is his early intentions to be good in spite of his circumstances. All he wants is acceptance and love even when it is clear no one wants him. It is this desperation for recognition that makes Phoenix’s performance sympathetic and ever more tragic as Arthur inevitably and unfortunately devolves into evil.

I think most of the outrage and hysteria surrounding the film speak to the realism of Arthur’s world; it is far closer to reality than comic book films typically depict. Similarly to M. Night’s Unbreakable, Joker’s tone is muted and its real world environment really plays to the gritty, everyday atmosphere. Arthur is representative of a form of suffering and alienation that has become increasingly common in our current society. Arthur is poverty-stricken, mentally-ill and suffers from a neurological condition that makes him laugh uncontrollably. He lives with his ailing mother Penny in a dimly-lit apartment building with faulty elevators. It is not difficult to see how someone like Arthur elicits abuse and contempt on a daily basis in a society that is overbearingly cruel towards its weak and powerless.

In this version of Gotham, there are clear divisional lines between the wealthy and the poor, the latter Thomas Wayne deems “clowns”. After Arthur kills in self-defense, he inadvertently starts a bizarre social movement that pits Gotham’s downtrodden against its wealthy. This movement speaks to the idea of recognition, an overt theme throughout the film. Gotham’s residents feel as though they aren’t being heard, that they are forced to live a miserable silence as the wealthy hide behind gated mansions, ignorant to their suffering. Arthur similarly has a yearning to be recognized but of a different form. He isn’t interested in the political movement he ignited, but rather, he wants recognition that affirms his existence. Thats an important distinction to make when experiencing this film.

Philips and Phoenix have crafted a chilling and disturbing picture of society that carefully treads the line between empathy for Arthur and holding him accountable for his actions. The film contends that in a society that fails to recognize and protect its most vulnerable, people in desperation will turn to someone they don’t fully understand and this can lead to chaos and anarchy. The film is dangerous in its commentary but is careful not to be in agreement with it.

Maybe as humans we could start treating people who are a little different than us more equal, better or at the very least, fair. These humans are not outcasts, they are just like you and I. They have feelings like me and you, except they constantly are being put down, pushed aside, laughed at and not taken seriously.  There is an entire world present everyday that has limitations and mental health issues and its so easy to just look the other way. I completely am aware Joker is just a film, but its the best kind of film. Joker should awake a part of you that cares for people who are struggling everyday. People who’s limitation they themselves are unable to exceed.

Joker isn’t “a toxic rallying cry for self-pitying outcasts”, it is an appeal for compassion and empathy for those suffering with mental illness.