Just got home from seeing it. What an excellent movie that is an inspired origination story for the Joker. The movie is set in early 80's Gotham(basically NYC) and it nailed the dirty, polluted, down trodden look that the largest cities had in the late 70's and early 80's.
Just wrap up the Oscar and give it to Joaquin Phoenix right now. His performance of a seriously struggling mentally ill man that slowly spirals down into a homicidal maniac is incredible and very realistic. His ability to make the audience feel sympathy for the usually pure evil character blew my mind.
If Phoenix does win an Oscar it would be the 2nd best acting Oscar for the character of the Joker. RIP Heath Ledger.
Nick, I know that you struggle with mental illness, and you might remember that I do too—what's your opinion on how mental illness is presented in this movie? I ask because I read that there's been some criticism of how mental illness and violence are portrayed in Joker.
Well what they portrayed was a very specific type of illness, one often associated with violence. I noted that to start the movie, he was on meds, working, and trying, in his own way to be normal. I found what he said in his journal about mental illness to be very true. It was a very key message in the film. I have experienced it myself.
I paraphrase but he wrote in his journal "though people may know you have mental illness they still expect you to act like you don't."
So so true.
Well, then the state shut down his treatment and meds and what we witnessed is the Joker, off meds, falling down into complete schizophrenia with hallucinations, voices talking to him, violent tendencies and suicidal and homicidal ideations.
Also telling is how he said he felt better and more like himself once off the meds. He felt free. But unfortunately that freedom from medication is a step down the rabbit hole to madness for him.
I think most who have mental illness that need meds will tell you how they don't like the way the meds make them feel and want to return to feeling what they feel is normal, which is themselves off drugs but suffering the effects of the illness. I also can relate.
So though I have no experience with the type of illness portrayed in the film, I thought they gave a very realistic look at what it is like to suffer from that type of illness and how the illness can obscure reality for the sufferer leading to bad to catastrophic decisions.
