And so with JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX, we return to the tragedy that is Arthur Fleck and his abuse at the hands of a social safety net that failed him. As refracted through the prism of Arthur’s fractured psyche, and that of his alter ego, Joker, the world of Gotham City is a violent place whose population falls mostly into a category best described as oblivious, from the psychiatrist testifying at Arthur’s trial, to the legions of Arthur’s fans outside the courtroom, none of them really see him, only their projected expectations and fantasies.
Fantasy is an apt word, as much of the film takes place withing Arthur’s musical interludes with the love of his life, Lee, as played by Lady Gaga, incandescent in her madness that takes her from frumpy psych ward inmate to plastic show biz glamour. The film begins in pure fantasy, with a cartoon riff on the old Warner Bros. Looney Tunes with Arthur being terrorized by his shadow on the talk show he always dreamed of having. Pay attention to the background posters, and not just the one of Murray Franklin (Robert DeNiro), the talk show host Arthur murdered live on television in the previous film. From there we are treated lush renditions of standards staged in post-modern cool cat clubs, bouncy bright 70s television shows, and a romantic twirl under a startlingly large moon played out on a rooftop straight from Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Back in the real world, it’s two years after the Arthur committed five murders (that the police know about) and his trial is about to start now that the state has deemed him competent to stand trial. None of that registers with Arthur now that he’s found Lee (the future Harley Quinn), the fellow inmate at Arkham State Hospital who catches his eye in a music class and then flirts with him in a suitable macabre fashion. It’s just a glimpse, but he is obsessed, and to his delight, she is equally obsessed with him, having watched the TV movie about him 20 times (maybe more). It makes up for the beatings, physical and emotional, from the sadistic guards led by Jackie Sullivan (Brenden Gleeson), and the general tenor of grinding violence that fills his daily life.
Todd Phillips unfolds the film from Arthur’s viewpoint with few exceptions. Most serve the story, as when Jackie watches the trial of the century live on TV and fumes about Arthur’s celebrity. One digression involves Lee putting on her Harley Quinn makeup while she sings and, though a lovely interpretation of the song, doesn’t neatly fit into the greater vision at work. That would be Arthur’s escape into fantasy in order to escape the horrors of his life, an old trick dating back to his abused childhood at the hands of his mother. Those fantasies reflect the grandiosity of Arthur’s inner life as a star while serving to clearly delineate his break with reality, even in his more lucid moments. As for what is real and what is illusion, we can never be quite sure from one moment to the next, adding to the tension and the suspense, a feeling heightened by the way it makes a case for fantasy being Arthur’s last, desperate refuge.
Phoenix is mesmerizing in a role that is operatic and yet also achingly human. He can go from pathetic to dangerous without missing a beat, one second reflecting the years of conditioning to be a willing and passive victim, the next with eyes that burn with all those years of subsumed suffering welling up and threatening the very air around him. He is a chameleon of chaos and the physical power of even his smallest moments is a tsunami. When Arthur sings a ballad of tragic love to Lee, it is the essence of despair fused with hope that refuses to let go.
If JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX was merely a showcase for Mr. Phoenix, it would be enough (and start filling out your awards ballots now), but it is so much more. Phillips uses Arthur’s story to skewer a media that considers only ratings, a justice system that is a road to power, and a social order in which innocent bystanders are ground into the ground, and anarchy becomes the bright and shiny choice for a disaffected citizenry. Arthur becomes the martyr for society’s sins in this gritty parable that asks us to condemn the real villains of the piece while not quite excusing Arthur’s crimes. It makes for a disarming and disquieting film that wrestles ethics and morality into a Gordian Knot, and that might just leave a scar on your soul.
I had no idea what to expect (not seeing a trailer or anything) ……I had seen, the original Joker movie. This had the same dark feel. I was intrigued by the musical /singing. I am still trying to process the whole event! Which means it was spectacular. Whole cast was top notch! Thumbs up.
I’m still thinking about it, dark and deep. Great performances by the whole cast!