Synopsis: In Gotham City, Arthur Fleck is a bankrupt comedian disregarded by the society in which he lives. After recent trauma, he is the victim of violent acts and begins to go crazy, becoming the criminal known as Joker.
Using just a few words, I could say that Joker is the kind of movie that literally explores one of the most complicated sides of the human psyche in a highly consistent way in a way no other anti-hero movie has made in recent times. But that would be too short to exemplify the grandeur present in this masterpiece.
DC Comics' cinematic universe is recent, but from its few copies ever released, it is easy to see that the predominant tone of the approach to most of its films is always pulled to the darker side, trying to "playfully" exemplify something which in essence is naturally complex.
In this latest issue, the insanity mood that dominates the script is responsible for creating the origin of a villain that however humane and sensitive it may seem at times (subtle touches of humanity sometimes being "camouflaged" to hide a dangerous essence)... Becomes a nefarious figure, who sees in the rejection of a world where it cannot be accepted, a way of ascending as one who will impose respect and achieve what he wants at all costs.
Directed by Todd Phillips (who, by the way, did a great job... although he got his hand wrong by exaggerating at times, such as raising the tone of the movie to a level it doesn't belong to, making it a bit pretentious), the plot plunges the viewer into the mind of a protagonist who has nothing left to lose and begins to reveal an abominable inner persona that is being built under fertile ground for imminent chaos.
The script is very efficient and assertive in the whole deal involving a misunderstood comedian, with a poor life and who notoriously turns into a "villain", a result of a lack of place in the world (someone with no place in the sun). There is a complexity in Fleck's nature that makes him an almost ghostly being and this is exposed on screen at the simplest moments of the plot, in simple moments bordering on a psychotic break.
The truth in Joaquim Phoenix's excellent performance is phenomenal (particularly, I think it's worth even an Oscar nomination!). Undoubtedly, here he presents one of his best and most solid works and delivers a performance worthy of applause. Everything he does here is intense, from the harshly dry laugh to the different kinds of looks that mix a whirlwind of feelings... It's a scenic calculation that finds no room for error.
Phoenix is backed by a competent supporting cast (notably Frances Conroy and Robert De Niro), and production work that makes it all the more grand. Attention to the smallest details (such as simple takes involving a junction of lights) helps shape an excellence that makes a point of announcing itself all the time (even when the narrative takes a while to fully mesh).
Based on a wholly realistic focus (which, with regard to the level of explicit violence, may bother even the most conservative viewers), the dilemmas and action scenes are fraught with inconvenient truths that shed any extra gimmicks ( for example, the use of majestic visual effects) to become relevant aspects of building your characters, just like the movie itself.
On the technical side, the highlights are the editing of scenes (which can tie all the ends of the plot very well), photography (a work full of dense nuances that makes the film's atmosphere even heavier) and the soundtrack (which is very punctual as it is strategically present at the most pertinent moments ... helping to digest the constant punches in the pit of the stomach received throughout the projection).
No doubt, Joker is one of the best movies of the year and one of the most amazing in the world of DC in theaters. This is quite challenging (especially considering how worn out the image is in the movies involving comic book heroes and villains) and which, despite all the controversy it has been arousing (whether or not for political reasons), deserves to be watched by everyone who has the discernment of separating art from real life (though both fields sometimes seem to occupy the same place in space).
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Great Movie!
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