As a film critic with over three decades of experience under my belt, I must say that “Form Asylum” left me utterly bewildered and somewhat disillusioned. The plot twists were so abrupt and convoluted that they made M. Night Shyamalan’s work look like a walk in the park.
Note: This is an ending explainer. Spoilers for the ending of Joker: Folie à Deux.
Todd Phillips’ film Joker primarily conveyed the message: “Be mindful when treating socially awkward individuals, as their circumstances might drive them to become something like the Joker.” The intriguing aspect of the movie, some might argue, is its exploration of the ordinary nature of evil. Rather than portraying our greatest threats as masterminds with grand designs and ideologies, it presents them as ordinary, struggling individuals. This isn’t just chilling, but also tragic. In essence, Joker offers a unique take on the origin story of a supervillain.
Essentially, Phillips’s sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux” rewrote significant aspects of the original film’s character development, effectively altering the first movie’s role and significance within the DC Cinematic Universe. In the closing scenes of the new movie, it becomes clear that the character we’ve been following for nearly three hours across both films wasn’t actually the Joker but rather Arthur Fleck (portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix). This revelation leaves his followers and Lady Gaga dismayed, as Arthur meets his end through stabbing. As a result, he becomes just another character the Joker had conflicts with, since the one who delivers the fatal blow is implied to be none other than the Joker himself. In essence, what we’ve been watching isn’t an origin story for the Joker, but rather the tale of the human upon whom the Joker is modeled, similar to Chris Evans’s description of Pixar’s “Lightyear” as the origin story of Buzz Lightyear’s human counterpart.
The initial film portrays the Joker’s origin story as a gritty, 1970s-style homage to Scorsese, depicting his madness not as cartoonish but rather a tragic mental illness. His constant laughter is a nervous tic stemming from childhood trauma, while his clown persona arises from his job as a rent-a-clown and aspirations in stand-up comedy. The turning point towards violence occurs when he is bullied by finance bros from Wayne Enterprises on the subway, leading him to retaliate violently, thereby establishing himself as a symbolic adversary to the Wayne family’s control over Gotham City. Arthur has ties to Batman because his ailing mother, a former employee of Thomas Wayne’s, claims that Arthur is actually the son of Bruce’s father, Thomas. This leads him to visit Wayne Manor and interact with young Bruce, addressing him as his brother before being reprimanded by Alfred. The shootings and Joker’s ensuing live television appearance inspire riots among clown-masked mobs targeting the rich, one of whom shoots down Bruce’s parents outside a movie theater, sparking Bruce’s transformation into Batman. Essentially, every aspect of the first film is designed to develop Arthur into the Joker, as it logically should be.
In the film “Folie à Deux,” Todd Phillips may have been feeling restless or bitter, seeking to introduce an unexpected twist. As a result, Arthur/Joker stands trial for the chaos he caused in the first movie, with the trial being broadcast live and earning him admiration from various unstable individuals, notably Lady Harleen Stefanie “Lee” Gaga Quinzel Germanotta. During court breaks, Fleck is confined in Arkham Asylum’s maximum security wing, portrayed insensitively as expected. Scenes of the trial on TV at the Asylum or Arthur returning from court with a Joker-like swagger often focus on a young inmate (Connor Storrie), who watches Arthur with an intense gaze. In his closing argument to the jury, Arthur sits on a stool with a mic, mimicking Maron’s style, and displays vulnerability, tearfully rejecting his former lawyer’s “split personality” defense and claiming that there is no Joker; only Arthur. Strangely, this admission disappoints his fans because the Joker symbolized rebellion and madness to them, whereas a mentally ill man who actually embodied the Joker and committed the murders does not. To me, this seems like a matter of words. However, for Lee, it feels like a betrayal. She was attracted to the Joker, not to a man named Arthur who happens to be the Joker.
In another turn of events, this young prisoner seems disillusioned with Arthur too. The jury hands down Arthur’s death sentence, and to add insult to injury, Lady Gaga breaks up with him. Later, back in the Asylum, it appears that Arthur has come to terms with his fate. However, there comes a surprise visitor for him. Could it be Lady Gaga planning an escape? Or Harvey Dent revealing his true identity as Two-Face? We’ll never know, because the young prisoner halts Arthur in the corridor and tells him a joke about being let down by Arthur, just like the Joker. He then repeats the phrase “You get what you fucking deserve” from the climax of the first film and stabs Arthur to death. As Arthur, our portrayed Joker, bleeds out with no one coming to his aid, the young prisoner laughs maniacally in the background, eerily resembling the Joker. Contrary to popular belief, the two Joaquin Phoenix ‘Joker’ films were not an origin story of the DC Universe’s Batman-fighting Joker. Instead, they painted a grim character study of Arthur Fleck, who bore a resemblance to the Joker and was also a criminal and insane, but was ultimately just someone who met his end at the hands of the actual Joker, a young man who, in the future, might escape from Arkham and become the Clown Prince of Crime.
Perhaps Phillips was attempting to convey that the Joker isn’t just one individual, but rather a movement, a concept, or a symbol of chaos that spreads like a contagion and has no allegiance. However, it seems like he’s also criticizing this approach as something disrespectful towards the audience, similar to other aspects of Folie à Deux. It comes across as a shock for the sake of shock, senseless violence, or… a sneaky punchline.
Whoa.
Perhaps what we’ve been observing all along was actually a depiction of director Todd Phillips transforming into the Joker. Instead of it being about an inmate killing Arthur, it was about Phillips himself becoming the chaos and playing a deceitful trick similar to the Joker. This ending is his message, his intention, his story – it’s what he wants us to understand! Let’s summon Commissioner Gordon and arrest this man! This film wasn’t a two-person story between Phoenix and Gaga; it was a battle between Phoenix and Phillips. He’s been right in front of us the entire time. Todd Phillips is the Joker – that’s the meaning behind the ending. That’s the showmanship!
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2024-10-05 02:54