Opening 3 Oct 2024
Directed by:
Todd Phillips
Writing credits:
Scott Silver, Todd Phillips, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson
Principal actors:
Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz
Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is jailed in the psychiatric Arkham Institution for killing five people (actually six people). He has a reputation for his presentation as the Joker, a clown wearing red, white, and blue make-up and a red nose. When policeman Jackie picks him up from his cell to take him to shower and shave, he asks, “Do you have a joke for us today?” This Joker is his second personality or “another person inside of him.” His most popular visitor is Dr. Lee Quinzel, (Lady Gaga), also known as Harley Quinn. She visits him in his isolation cell, and as their relationship develops, she predicts the future saying, “We’re going to build a mountain.” He is supported by a huge “Free the Joker” demonstration down the streets, with many participants dressed as the Joker. Eventually Arthur appears in court, both as Arthur and as Joker, to be sentenced with the death penalty.
This is a sequel to the original Joker which appeared in 2019, also directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix. Here we see how Arthur copes with his multiple personality disorder. There is a choir which “uses music to make us whole,” as well as thirty-seven songs such as “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and there is also tap dancing. Interesting that the title includes French words Folie à Deux which mean “Madness of Two,” although the film is American, in English, and filmed in New Jersey. The film opens with a very funny animated summary of the story, based on DC Comics. Many viewers familiar with the original Joker, which won several Oscars, were disappointed, predicting no possibilities for awards for this new version, which premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. (Becky Tan)
