If there is something I would never forget it is the movie “The Joker” I think this movie will forever be stuck in my mind because it had such a huge impact on me in so many ways I can’t even decide which aspect got me the most.
I could write my thoughts in bullet points but I decided to share more..
I can’t understand how a lot of people said that they didn’t like it and it was awful. This is my opinion but I bet those people don’t have the depth or don’t have the vision to read between the lines and understand the context very well. Everything in the movie had a message, from the setting, the environment, the signs in the streets, the music, the outfits. What we have witnessed is something beyond incredible. I am truly astonished by the script as well.
I would comment on every scene and every part but we all know this will be endless. So I will just share my thoughts in general.. Let’s see how this goes…..
*We always treat people the way we feel. We most likely never treat them according to their emotions actions feelings and most importantly their intentions.
The movie wasn’t what everyone had expected. They thought it woulds be something like The Batman’s Trilogy/Suicide Squad…or any typical action/thriller kind of movie. This is why this movie was a major disappointment to those people. This movie was in fact the back story of the man behind the painted mask “Joker” How did he become this person? Were his actions excusable? Was everything in the movie real or was it a fantasy from Arthur Fleck’s imagination? Can you truly believe what you see? Can you believe what is being put in the media? There are a lot of questions you might or might not find the answers to… But in this post I will try to share my emotions and thoughts about it..
Arthur Fleck was as human as any other person who happen to have a bit of a rough childhood. What is sad is that nobody, literally nobody embraced him as a whole. Everyone wanted him to act a certain way to be accepted. And that was the trigger where he started changing. Even though he was trying to be the best at it all. And if you have noticed he’s a bit of the comedian, he has a sense of humor that no one around him truly noticed it. People have only seen him when he mess up and that made him realize that he should be a mess up because that’s when “I am noticed” according to him.
*I think this the first movie that anyone would sympathy with the villain. You know why? Because we have been shown the human side of him and the reasons of what led him to be that way. You have always seen those evil people do bad things but you never truly asked the question why? But this does not necessarily mean that it is ok to be bad.. We need to keep wanting to get help, or work on helping ourselves.
Only hurt people hurt other people. And that is exactly what was done here.
**The closest people to us have the most impact on us. We might say it is not true but it is. Especially when the words are downgrading and negative. we don’t want to admit it but it is what our parents say, what siblings comment on and how our spouses act around us leave a mark on us. Abuse isn’t only physical. Verbal abuse could be more damaging and not a lot of people are aware of that because if people truly realized how their words do matter, they wouldn’t walk around sharing all the mean words to people around them claiming it is the “truth” or that they were being “honest”.,. but in fact they were just plain rude.
Arthur Fleck’s father wasn’t in the picture at all and he was raised without one.. So somehow you can clearly tell he had two father figures he looked up to. One was Murray Franklin and the second was Thomas Wayne. So imagine being rejected by the two men who you actually looked up to, wanted them to embrace and love you back; this is just heartbreaking. Then there is his mom where he thought she was being honest about his past. Then come to realize she adopted him and let her boyfriend abuse him as a child. But what if this wasn’t true? What if Thomas Wayne was the actual father and manipulated the papers because he simply could? Or maybe the mother was truly mentally ill and claimed that Thomas Wayne was involved.
***The environment around Arthur didn’t even serve him well. Everything was bursting negativity. The Radio, TV, People also his work. Which lead Arthur to isolate and isolation leads the brain to manipulating itself. So he started creating his own reality which felt good to him. (The girl he meets) that lives in the same building. Also, this movie could be all made up from his imagination…… And he could be locked in the mental institute the whole time.. So we never truly .know what’s real or what’s not…
There was hope in saving him out of his misery, he mentioned in the hospital how he loved his job and most likely was the only thing he cared about, so imagine it being taken away from him. It was obviously devastating. How it was taken away from him was the turning point. When you like to be in a certain place and you actually trust the people in it; But all of a sudden you get stabbed in the back from the people you liked to be around, Arthur felt betrayed. And if you have noticed in the scene in Arthur’s apartment where he murdered(stabbed) Randall. The person who actually lied about giving him the gun, ,Arthur did not hurt the other guy ‘Garry’; So what he did wasn’t just plain crazy and in need to kill everyone. He intentionally wanted to kill or hurt those who have hurt him only.
The situation that unleashed “The Joker’s” dark side was the one in the subway. When his condition accelerated and the young men didn’t give him a chance to explain himself because his laughter condition, it gave him permission to just let go of all the anger and suffering that was built up through those years and murdered three
When the news came out claiming the dead young men were “good and educated” even though clearly their behavior in the subway train stated otherwise. But would they believe Arthur, the guy who just got fired from work for possessing a gun? He also said it himself, who would believe a guy who was not even seen by anyone, like he didn’t exist. If he died on the street people would walk all over him..
This scene truly hit me…. There are a lot of people in the world who live in the margin of life. They truly don’t exist to us and that is just sad and heartbreaking.
When you think of it, even the place where Arthur could share his thoughts and emotions “The therapy center” was shut down. The counselor didn’t even care for most of Arthur had to say about his thoughts and feelings.
If you focused enough you would truly see how he just wanted to make people happy and laugh. He wanted to be a comedian and wanted to make people happy. But people obviously did not want that from him so the ongoing rejection was tearing his soul a part bit by bit til he stopped caring all together.
Nobody has given him a chance to be out there fully himself, because whenever he tried to do something nice he gets kicked for it. And in any person’s life there is a time where it would be enough and the limit would have exceeded and the bad treatment has to stop. To Arthur the painted clown face it wasn’t a “mask” to hide behind. He was just embracing his personality to being the person that he is. Because apparently being a good person didn’t give him the love, care, acceptance that he needed. So maybe turning out to being the bad guy because the society is cheering for the bad one’s and hailing for the manipulative so why not?. This is also seen by the end of the movie when Arthur Fleck confessed his murders, after being taken by the police someone crashes the police’s to drag Arthur out; waited for him to gain conscious and then started cheering for him as if he was a ‘vigilante’ or the savior.
I am a strong believer that we are all capable of doing bad things, as much as the good. It is how we were conditioned growing up and what happens in our lives that triggers what kind of actions we want to share with the world and how we want the world to perceive us. It is how we are brought up and what kind of morals and values that were infused in us as we grew that has the most impact on us. The society is a scary place if you really look deep into it. And people’s behavior will mostly be out of fear not freedom. And the things they cheer for and the people they hail are all for the wrong reasons…..
It is not ok to treat people badly even if you are feeling the worst. This behavior is not excusable whatsoever. You can’t take your negative feelings on people. It might be their fault that led you to feeling this way but you should try to keep yourself around the good ones. Your family is the worst? then it’s your duty to find ‘friends’ who are good people and will stand by you. Sometime’s we are forced to be with people who are truly terrible, envious and just completely dark. But we are in control to how we behave around them and in control of our reactions and this is our power.
I am not with Arthur’s behavior and I don’t cheer for his actions and what he did was completely wrong. I do feel sorry for him and his background was truly the worst, I wish he had somebody to talk to but that’s life…. Sometime’s we truly have nobody but ourselves.
It is 100% our responsibility to live a healthy life. Whether the people around us were or not. We can’t treat others badly because we had bad childhood. Our past does not represent us right now and we can’t hold our past accountable for our worst behavior today. This is just an excuse to keep a negative behavior going. Yes, feel bad for your bad childhood and all the mistreatment that you had earlier but at the same time take responsibility and say no more. You deserve a good life as anyone else in this life. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Favorite quotes:
Arthur to Thomas Wayne in the bathroom
Arthur Fleck : I know it seems strange, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I don’t know why everyone is so rude, I don’t know why you are; I don’t want anything from you. Maybe a little warmth, maybe a hug dad, maybe a bit of common decency!
Arthur to Murray Franklin
Arthur Fleck : Have you seen what it’s like out there, Murray? Do you ever actually leave the studio? Everybody just yells and screams at each other. Nobody’s civil anymore. Nobody thinks what it’s like to be the other guy. You think men like Thomas Wayne ever think what it’s like to be someone like me? To be somebody but themselves? They don’t. They think that we’ll just sit there and take it, like good little boys! That we won’t werewolf and go wild!
Arthur Fleck : Ugh, why is everybody so upset about these guys? If it was me dying on the sidewalk you’d walk right over me!
Arthur Fleck : I pass you everyday and you don’t notice me! But these guys? Well because Thomas Wayne would cry about them on TV?
Arthur Flecks written note in his journal:
“The worst part of having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don’t.”
Side Note: Joaquin Phoenix was perfect for the role. I don’t really think anyone would have pulled it off the way he did. He is truly a genius.
xo S
A Coffee Shot 