Joker attempts to be a meaningful film, but collapses under the pressure.

Joker, directed by Todd Phillips and Starring Joaquin Phoenix, is meant to be the origin story of the classic comic book villain that be all know and love, but ends up becoming a character study of a mentally ill man, and his slow snap to madness.

The film follows Arthur Fleck, a clown for hire who aspires to be a comedian and lives in a small apartment alone with his mother. We see early on that society beats down on him and abuses him, as a group of teenagers rob him of his sign while kicking him repeatedly. Arthur is alone, isolated. He writes all of his thoughts, and jokes, in his journal, which is sometimes read aloud in the film. Most of which are suicidal thoughts or spouts of anger towards society or his mother. However, we do not ever know why society beats him down or isolates him. The only details we are given about Arthur and his mental illness is that he uncontrollably laughs. We see him several times in a therapist’s office, and she makes references to him taking several medications, to which he can no longer afford. What are these conditions that Arthur has? Why is he seeing a therapist? Why is he on medication? These are questions you will never get an answer to. We do not get depth into why he is so awkward and uncomfortable around others, or why he is compelled to violence. The film is too vague for me to feel any sympathy towards Arthur or the struggles he goes through.

Speaking of vague, let me touch upon the political aspects that Todd Phillips attempts to convey in Joker. In Joker, there are faint echoes of Trump’s America as we see groups of protesters riled up outside city hall, shouting for the heads of the one percent. Thomas Wayne, also is supposed to somehow symbolize a Donald Trump like figure, as he only cares about his wealth, and calls anyone who wears a mask is a coward and a clown. He does not do anything to calm concerns of the working class, rather he more or less takes the side of the rich, allowing the protests to escalate and Arthur to become a symbol. Though, Phillips does not delve deep into these issues, they are just mentioned in passing as Arthur sees them on television or an article on the street. He has nothing new to say about our society, just a vague message of kill the rich and society does not care about the mentally ill. This is disappointing because the film had a fantastic premise to send a great message.

However, I will not discredit Joaquin Phoenix. He gave a great performance given the script and the director provided. Joaquin made the Joker his own with a chilling laugh and a contorted, disturbing dance which he does whenever he is alone. To me, the dancing and laughing was a bit excessive at times, but it was chilling, unique, and expressive as he twists his body in a dingy public restroom after the murder of three people. Joaquin’s transition from being a kind gentle soul to a heartless killer was also intriguing, but a slow one. His best performance is the third act, when we see the Joker's insanity in full force.

However, I will say that the cinematography was incredible throughout this film. Lawerence Sher did an excellent job creating a creepy, underground New York nightlife setting. Most of the shots are tracking shots on the streets of New York, in dim or neon light, which looks gorgeous and gives us a real sense of environment. We also get a real feeling of Arthur’s emotions and situations through the greys and blues that surround him constantly. This all changes as the film becomes significantly more colorful and brighter in the third act, along with Arthur’s transformation. Bravo, this is some of the best cinematography I have seen this year.

Overall, Joker is a poor attempt to be a meaningful film, as it is too vague to get across any meaningful message. Though, Joaquin shines in a visually stunning film.