Joker: Folie A Deux was released Oct. 4, and I couldn’t wait to see the sequel to the devastating and complex Joker movie. However, I was surprised to find out that I paid to watch a musical more than anything, and was bored most of the time.
The movie begins with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), or “Joker,” locked up at Arkham State Hospital for the murders he admitted to on live television at the end of the last movie. Fleck experiences inhumane treatment by the guards and inmates. Eventually, life becomes easier when he meets Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga) in a music class.
I did expect there would be music, considering that Lady Gaga plays Quinzel. But it was constant throughout the movie. Quinzel and Fleck sang to each other more than they talked. Nevertheless, the music does have metaphorical significance, representing an aspect of the fantasies Fleck has due to his mental illness.
Quinzel and Fleck fall in “love,” however, she is in love with the Joker, not Fleck.
Most of the movie is him going through his trial for his murders. It’s the first publicized trial, and riots and protests rack the streets in favor of the Joker as supporters believe he is fighting the corruption in Gotham.
These movies are depressing. In some ways, the first movie romanticizes mental instability and seems to give unstable people a reason to be violent. In addition, these movies don’t really follow the comics, even though they attempt to make Quinzel a Harley Quinn-coded character.
The acting is phenomenal though. The physical transformation that Joaquin Phoenix goes through to embody the “Joker” is amazing, including the Joker laugh that he has mastered. Gaga’s voice is beautiful, and her acting is good. The movie managed to capture Gotham City well, despite most of the movie being in Fleck’s cell or prison.
The last 30 minutes of the movie was my favorite part. I was invested in his trial, the upheaval he had created among rioting citizens, and his relationship with Quinzel. Despite there being another song or two in the end, I wasn’t dissatisfied with how the movie ended, I just had to make it through the dozens of songs.
The best I can describe this movie is like a dark, depressing La La Land with mentally unstable characters. If that sounds appealing, then I recommend watching it, however, I do not think I will waste more of my time watching this movie again.
