Movies were the first love of my life. As long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the thrill of watching a good movie. There's an energy I'm left with. A longing to repeat that experience.
Having been born in 1976, I grew up in an age where quality cinema was defined as Spielberg, Coppola, DePalma (sometimes), and Scorsese. Especially Scorsese. What Spielberg did for mass entertainment, Scorsese did for cinema as high art. Growing up, I knew Scorsese was one of the best, if not THE best, filmmaker you could find. Whether focused on New York, the Mob, or deep Religious views, his films have always demanded and deserved attention.
So, I was excited by the prospect of Joker for several reasons.
1. Todd Phillips was very open about wanting to model the film off of the gritty Scorsese classics such as King of Comedy and Taxi Driver.
2. Taxi Driver was released the year I was born. So the fact that it's relevant today is specifically interesting to me, and a bit concerning considering that this alignment with tone for Joker essentially says "history repeats itself", which is a running theme in a lot of ways today.
3. Joaquin Phoenix would be the perfect actor to put a fresh and different spin on the classic Joker character. In films from Gladiator to the recent You Were Never Really Here, he's been particularly great in roles where characters are taken to their breaking point and beyond. He has eyes and a stare that hold the screen.
4. The character of Joker is always interesting. He's becoming less a character and more a cautionary tale. What does a person behave like when they are truly not bound by any rules but their own? Joker has become a multi-faceted exploration of this concept.
5. If they are modeling classic Scorsese, how bad can it be?
Well, it's not bad at all. In fact, it ranks as one of the best films of the year for me. This movie is not for children. This is not a comic book, superhero movie. This is an exploration of mental illness in our society and culture. It's tough to watch, yet impossible not to appreciate the performance by Phoenix. I completely understand the mixed reviews the film is receiving. It's a very, intentionally, polarizing look into what might drive a person to make the choices this character inevitably makes. I didn't feel the intent was to create sympathy for this devil, but to explain how plausible it is for evil to cultivate as a result of ongoing abuse, years of trauma, and lack of care. I was close to tears several times in the movie. It's a dark and somber film.
To address the controversy swarming around the movie, it's just my opinion, but I did not see this as a film that glorifies the character and his choices. Much like Taxi Driver did in 1976, this puts a lens on uncomfortable aspects of modern day life, our modern class system, and the fear we now live with in normal situations and crowds. It boiled down to a simple moral lesson to me "treat others as you would want to be treated".
At the end, I felt less like I'd seen a movie about the classic Batman character Joker, and more like I'd watched a modern day cautionary tale. Similar to Seven (a personal favorite of mine), this is a reminder that the world is not a fine place...but worth fighting for.
The music and sound was crucial to the film, and it was very well done. The acting was superb. The direction was admirably restrained. I left the theatre wanting to watch it again immediately, primarily to see Joaquin's transfixing performance one more time. It was a rush.
No comments:
Post a Comment