**TLDR - Whilst *Joker* is not quite the dangerous film that some have labeled it as, its choice of central character is the wrong one to have anything meaningful to say about society and mental health** *Joker* released to a slew of criticism in regards to its sympathetic look at a violent criminal. Some critics feared it might incite violence, leading to a copycat audience who lash out at society in much the same way that Arthur (The Joker) does in the film. Whilst I do disregard these criticisms to the extent that I think ultimately someone with the potential to copy Arthur's violence probably always was going to, I do agree that it's sympathy for its lead character undermines its messages. Ultimately, Todd Philips tries to use the character arc of Arthur Fleck to explore how a disinterested and cruel society can lead to some people being pushed over the edge and lashing out. Throughout the film, we see Arthur have his medication stopped due to lack of funding, his disability shunned and his general demeanor mocked and played for laughs. These are all things that we as an audience can sympathize with. And yet what follows is a trail of increasingly brutal violence, never in a proportional response to the acts of mockery that inspired them. Todd throws these things in our face as if to say "Look at what you've done. Look at what society has created. Isn't it terrible?". Yes Todd, it is terrible that a mentally ill man has been shunned and mocked, and had his medication revoked. These are truly terrible things that nobody should have to go through. But you kind of lost me when you had him (**SPOILERS**) stab a pair of scissors into that man's eye and throat. Or when you had him kill his mother. There's a sense that *Joker* wants us to look at this violence and understand its inception. Todd Phillips said "it's about kindness and a lot of people miss that" **[1]**. In other films that could perhaps work, but *Joker* spends too much of the movie reinforcing the idea that Arthur is separate from society, that he does not fit in (such as a scene in which he visits a stand up show, only to laugh in moments that are not meant to be funny). It tells us nothing of how a lack of kindness can affect members of our society because the film makes it clear that Arthur does not belong to it in the first place. In the end, to me *Joker* comes off as a film whose director thinks it is saying something deep and profound, but in reality reminds me more of an A Level Media student's edgy project (I mean this is a man who said he stopped directing comedy movies because of 'woke culture') **[2]**. **REFERENCES** **[1]** https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2487838/what-joker-is-really-about-according-to-director-todd-phillips **[2]** https://www.indiewire.com/2019/10/todd-phillips-left-comedy-joker-woke-culture-1202177886/

I think Joker was meaningful in a few ways. For example when Bruce Wayne’s father punches Arthur brutally in the bathroom, because Arthur is questioning him about his parenthood. I thought this was meaningful because it made me think Mr Wayne was a brutal cruel man. To me this exemplifies that the perspective or slant someone is presented in heavily influences your perception of who the villain and hero is in a story. In all the previous batman related films I have seen, the parents of Batman are never presented in poor or immoral light but this could be because the focus was on presenting Batman as a hero, albeit a flawed one.

**tl;dr: Joker taught the audience the raw reality of the world. It is always about the survival of the fittest. It taught kindness and condemned judgemental thinking.** Joker was an excellent commentary on social psychology. Everything Joker can be justified. Childhood trauma, poor parenting choices, along with his profound mental disorders. They all contributed to his actions. It taught the audience to not judge people. Everyone has a different story. More importantly, everyone is struggling in many different, agonizing ways. There is good in people who seem to be bad. There is bad in people who seem to be trying to be good. The Joker had many violent scenes. It showed the raw reality of the real world. It does not shelter people. The world forces us to fight. It is the survival of the fittest out there. The violence was depicted as a snapping point. A point where he could not take it anymore. It does not glorify violence. It does not justify it either. It just shows the audience why there is violence. It is up to the audience to understand it. Joker is a realistic example of a hard life. It teaches kindness. It also shows the great divide between the privileged and the underprivileged. The division is causing many problems. It was a realistic story. The riots and violence in the movie were condemned. But the depiction of people's reactions was realistic. Joker is not a movie that shows us any role models. It is a movie that depicts the real, authentic versions of different kinds of people. It almost romanticizes the cruelty of the real world. That is why the movie leaves people shaken.

TL;DR - Joker demands equal and fair treatment of people with mental illness. I personally think that the Joker provides different life lessons, but this is the strongest one. In the latest movie, the treatment of mental illness is carefully depicted. This movie is a painful journey of a man with mental illness, that carries different traumas from childhood. As a consequence, he is seen as a threat, as a marginal person that deserved be treated differently. I think that despite all the bad actions Joker did, he taught us that people with mental illness deserve to be treated equally and can succeed without the help of anybody.

**Tl; dr: While the joker did lack range in its message, in no way did it lack its ability to say it in a meaningful way.** The film does provide a message of kindness and how we should treat people in society. When speaking of this movie many mention how joker illuminates issues in mental illness to the podium. Whilst I do agree that bringing films from the 70’s and 80’s in current pop culture is no groundbreaking feat, it does manage to deliver a message that relates to what many people are feeling today. Just because he doesn’t fit in society doesn’t mean his character is invalid of being treated kindly. Joker emphasises this. Regarding the issue on Arthur’s violence. The climatic scene on the Murray talk shows how willing the audience is to side with Arthur’s violence when he shoots murray. That is what director Todd Phillips does so well is grip the audience in this suspenseful scene. Murray is a horrible person, especially to Arthur, but he’s not a villain. He didn’t deserve to die. The audience did want Arthur to kill Murray, even if they say they didn’t. The film does well to make you understand Arthur into being on his side in this scene of violence. Joker was a little one note in its message, but it certainly did not fail to say anything meaningful because it highlights many issues surrounded mental illness and social psychology in today’s society. It wasn’t afraid deliver this message and this is what appealed to the audience.