Everyone has a bad day. Several in fact. It's a natural part of life in the end. But what happens when someone so broken experiences that one bad day that pushes them over the edge. Over his long career as a comic book supervillain, the Joker has shown us what that could look like...at least given what little we know about him. Each iteration gives at least some background on why he came to be the way he is, but none have ever come close to making us feel for him the way the 2019 version does.
Arthur Fleck is a failed comedian with an ailing mother and a condition that causes him to laugh uncontrollably at the most inappropriate times. Throughout the movie, Arthur experiences hardship after hardship, each worse than the last. He loses his job, gets embarrassed on national television by his idol, and learns the extent of his traumatic childhood. Combine all this with his deteriorating mental health, and Arthur finds himself walking down a dark path. What is interesting about Joker is that even though he is probably the most sympathetic interpretation of the Joker to date, Arthur is not someone to root for. His actions are truly horrific and at the end of the day, he's still the Joker. He may have had it hard, but it does not excuse the carnage and chaos that his actions have caused.
Arthur is a truly unique interpretation of one of my favorite characters in all of fictional media, brought to life by the vision of Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix's powerhouse performance. With what the ending of Joker entailing and the news of a sequel being in development, it seems this isn't the last we'll see of him after all...
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