Genre: Drama, Thriller |
This is not a funny film, though it does feature comedians and some zingy one liners. The only time I laughed was his mother sincerely asking him "Don't you have to be funny to be a comedian?". Joaquin Phoenix is more Heath Ledger in grit, actual insanity and violence than he is Jared Leto's method acting mess. His emaciated frame and odd movements gave a good creepy vibe to his joker and the neurological aspect of his uncontrolled laughter was fitting.
However, this is a story about a disabled man pushed to breaking, set in a fictional city with a notoriously bad mental health facility. It's hard to watch the scenes set in the asylum and heartbreaking when characters are openly abusive about his brain damage, unusual behaviour and other character's disabilities. The way that characters treat each other in general is unpleasant to see; random muggings, hateful coworkers, etc.
There is also plenty of gore, though no wound close ups. Some of the murders are overly bloody and there are quite a few of them. The Joker and other characters are violent; hitting and kicking, then stabbing and rioting. The plot exposition is a little heavy handed, with multiple reveals of the same fact, and does include mention of an abusive relationship and child abuse. They aren't shown, but are in the context of the bad mental health treatment.
Regardless of the timing of it's violence and social commentary, and whether or not people might wilfully misinterpret the Joker, it's a fantastic film with beautiful cinematography. Slow push-ins, uncomfortably close close-ups held for an uncomfortably long time, dutch angles and hand held shots, the camera is a huge part of the tension. A muted colour palette contrasts with the Joker's surprisingly bright clown clothes and the blood.
The Joker as a character has a history of mistreating women, both in the comics and films; his abusive relationship with Harley Quinn, for one. Luckily, she does not turn up in this story, and while he does kill at least two women, gender does not seem to be a huge factor and the female love interest's fate is left unshown after a big plot reveal. As every other death is shown either in act or in the amount of blood, her bloodless departure bodes well for her. In an era of 'ironic' or 'poignant' mistreatment of female characters, this is a nice change.
The mental illness aspects may be quite unsettling, as the Joker loses, regains and loses his sense of real and imagined again. It can be misleading, but the climactic scenes bring everything together. This is far from a film for everyone, but if you like drama that makes you think and characters that make you uncomfortable, it's worth a watch.
However, this is a story about a disabled man pushed to breaking, set in a fictional city with a notoriously bad mental health facility. It's hard to watch the scenes set in the asylum and heartbreaking when characters are openly abusive about his brain damage, unusual behaviour and other character's disabilities. The way that characters treat each other in general is unpleasant to see; random muggings, hateful coworkers, etc.
There is also plenty of gore, though no wound close ups. Some of the murders are overly bloody and there are quite a few of them. The Joker and other characters are violent; hitting and kicking, then stabbing and rioting. The plot exposition is a little heavy handed, with multiple reveals of the same fact, and does include mention of an abusive relationship and child abuse. They aren't shown, but are in the context of the bad mental health treatment.
Regardless of the timing of it's violence and social commentary, and whether or not people might wilfully misinterpret the Joker, it's a fantastic film with beautiful cinematography. Slow push-ins, uncomfortably close close-ups held for an uncomfortably long time, dutch angles and hand held shots, the camera is a huge part of the tension. A muted colour palette contrasts with the Joker's surprisingly bright clown clothes and the blood.
The Joker as a character has a history of mistreating women, both in the comics and films; his abusive relationship with Harley Quinn, for one. Luckily, she does not turn up in this story, and while he does kill at least two women, gender does not seem to be a huge factor and the female love interest's fate is left unshown after a big plot reveal. As every other death is shown either in act or in the amount of blood, her bloodless departure bodes well for her. In an era of 'ironic' or 'poignant' mistreatment of female characters, this is a nice change.
The mental illness aspects may be quite unsettling, as the Joker loses, regains and loses his sense of real and imagined again. It can be misleading, but the climactic scenes bring everything together. This is far from a film for everyone, but if you like drama that makes you think and characters that make you uncomfortable, it's worth a watch.