Cinephile: Monthly Movie Digest (February 2020)

Cinephile № 803 “Joker”

Recommendation: 5/5 STARS, SHOWTIME

Plot: “In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: The Joker.” -IMDB

Review: As an audience member or reader, a Gotham City on the brink is all we have ever known. Given the right spark, the whole thing always seems capable of implosion. On top of this powder keg and between the cavernous skyscrapers, live people who enjoy a life of abundance and those standing on the edge of society. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is the latter. Deeply broken by society, he struggles to make ends meet and be noticed by anyone. From the opening scenes, we are meant to empathize with his struggle and take pity upon him; thanks to a masterful performance from Phoenix, this isn’t hard to do.

Throughout the story, Arthur has a hard time distinguishing fiction from fact and often tries to bend the truth to his will. Failure and disappointment with where he finds himself in life pushed him deeper into madness. Eventually, Fleck is pushed beyond a point of no return. He will be powerful, confident, and seen. To do so, he is compelled to take on an alternate ego giving birth to…