Book review: Joker

Abstract

Few comic villains have the rich history that the Joker does. From comic books and cartoon television shows to blockbuster Hollywood films, the Joker has already had a long history, replete with multiple interpretations. Despite these myriad of portrayalsdsome memorable for a variety of reasons, like Heath Ledger's brooding depiction in The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008) or Jack Nicholson's sardonic portrayal in Batman (Burton, 1989)dactors, writers, and directors can (apparently) still find new ways to trouble audiences with the Joker's bleak (and yet strangely gripping) outlook on society that reverberates on a variety of personal and societal levels. All I have are negative thoughtsIn Joker (Phillips, 2019), Joaquin Phoenix takes a turn interpreting the (in)famous character. Like Ledger's depiction, audiences are invited to "reflect on ideas of values that we take for granted" (Forbes, 2011, p. 25). Phoenix, however, takes the complex, and somewhat empathetic, evil of the Joker to a new level. Early in the film, the audience learns that Phoenix's character is named Arthur Fleck and that he is the antithesis of the hyper-masculine ideals of American societydhe is desperate, disheveled, scrawny, timid, and is frequently the target of verbal and physical attacks by others. Arthur (barely) holds a job as a clown-for-hire for the company Ha-Ha's and is the sole provider for his mother, Penny Fleck. Additionally, Arthur suffers from (at a minimum) depression and a neurological condition that triggers fits of uncontrollable laughter when he is faced with distressing situations. Considering the aggregate of these conditions, Arthur Fleck quickly becomes a character who might elicit empathy from the audience. He is not an all-powerful villain whom the audience hopes will be brutally defeateddwe likely feel sorry for him.Although some students struggle to conceptualize evil as being complex (van Kessel, 2017), Joker provides an important lesson about just how ordinary, relatable, and complicated evil can be. Although earlier portrayals of the Joker have attempted to convey the point that anyone could be one bad day away from becoming like him, Phoenix's portrayal is the first attempt at using the popularity of the Joker to explore the complex range of factors that contribute to violent behavior. According to Dr. Adam Raine, a neuro-criminologist, Arthur's path to event was shaped by a nexus of "genetics, childhood trauma, untreated mental illness, and societal provocation" (Miller, 2019, para. 2). Having spent over 40 years studying the brains of behavior of violent criminals to understand the causes of violence, Raine was taken aback by the (unexpected) nuanced and accurate portrayal of reactive aggression in Joker. So much so, that in fact he plans to use clips with his students at the University of Pennsylvania (Miller, 2019).Dr. Imani Walker, a psychiatrist, was similarly impressed by Phoenix's Joker. She was moved emotionally by the script and Phoenix's performance: What also broke my heart was when he was writing in hi...