The first part of Joker (2018) by Todd Phillips showed that modern comic books are still capable of surprising. Even if the filmmakers had to be inspired by Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) and other stories about outsiders and socially disadvantaged groups. We can argue for a long time about the value of The Joker as a work of art, but its billion-dollar box office, critical acclaim, and even tangible impact on society have shown that people love such scenarios.
It would seem that The Joker told a completely complete and independent story. But in comics, as fans of this medium know, nothing is ever truly complete. And where there is a Joker, there will be a Harley Quinn. The plot of Joker: Folie à Deux, taking advantage of Lady Gaga's talents and turning everything into a musical. The result is worth a long discussion, because it's not easy to give an unequivocal verdict on the movie. However, it is unlikely that you will soon forget what you have seen.
| Title | Joker: Folie à Deux |
| Genre | crime, drama, thriller, musical, comic book |
| Director | Todd Phillips |
| Starring | Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and others |
| Studios | Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, Joint Effort, Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Timing | 2 hours 18 minutes |
| Year | 2024 |
| Website | IMDb |
Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) has been imprisoned in Arkham Asylum since the events of the first part. During this time, his image of the Joker has become a symbol for people, and a movie was even made about him. Arthur's popularity makes him happy, but it doesn't help him much, because there are still court hearings to decide the man's fate. In a psychiatric hospital, he meets a girl named Harley Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who is sincerely fascinated by the Joker. They begin a strange and dangerous romance that can either completely destroy Flack's psyche or become his salvation. Of course, if the Joker decides to take matters into his own hands again.
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Still from the movie Joker: Folie à Deux[/caption]
The pretentious subtitle of the film Folie à Deux carries several meanings at once. The French expression folie à deux literally means "the madness of two" and is used in psychiatry in cases where symptoms of similar mental illnesses are observed in two patients at once, and they develop in parallel. It is also interesting that sometimes in such cases it is possible to identify a dominant person whose illnesses influence another person. Then the latter begins to think that he or she is also sick and experiencing symptoms, although in reality it is only a delusion. This interpretation is quite important for the scenario.
On the other hand, the use of French in the title immediately sets the mood for sophistry, love, and creative exaltation. And Folie à Deux is also an album by the rock band Fall Out Boy, but that's just an interesting fact that doesn't count. Although, who knows, maybe this reference makes sense, everything in the movie is so diverse.
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Still from the movie Joker: Folie à Deux[/caption]
So what is Joker: Folie à Deux? This question may already provoke heated debate, because the filmmakers did not seem to know exactly how they wanted to convey their thoughts to the audience. You can trace a lot of ideas and motives in the film, it seems to be out of this world, tangibly crazy. Your overall enjoyment of the movie depends on how much you are willing to accept this fact. But let's turn into cinematic psychoanalysts for a moment and try to understand what Todd Phillips' new work hides.
Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical, as was clear from the promotional campaign. Such a genre experiment will definitely seem strange to some, but it's almost a sin to cast Lady Gaga in the lead role and not let them sing. Because she sings incredibly well in the movie. Phoenix also tries to keep up, but the difference in vocal talent is obvious. That's why Gaga sings in about 75% of the musical scenes. And everything is perfectly choreographed.
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Still from the movie Joker: Folie à Deux[/caption]
With the help of music and abstract performances, they try to better reveal the inner world of The Flash. Because Joker: Folie à Deux is also a two-hour psychoanalysis of the main character. While the first part dealt more with social aspects, the second part dives into Arthur's guts, focusing on small details and peculiarities of his worldview. Is two hours enough time to understand such a complex character? This question was commented on in the movie itself, but after the credits, each viewer will look for the answer inside themselves.
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Still from the movie Joker: Folie à Deux[/caption]
Yes, "everyone has to understand for themselves" is one of the worst phrases a critic can say and one of the worst motives that authors of fiction can use. However, the focus on psychological peculiarities allows the second part of The Joker to turn even trivialities into noteworthy moments. It's a subtle movie that teeters on the edge between meaninglessness and overload, but stubbornly tries to move forward.
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Still from the movie Joker: Folie à Deux[/caption]
Of course, Joker: Folie à Deux is also a love story between two such ambiguous people. At the same time, the general trend towards the modern portrayal of Harley Quinn can be traced in this interpretation. The girl hides her personal secrets and motives, and almost until the end of the story it is unclear who Arthur really is for her. However, we can say for sure that Lady Gaga's performance is excellent, which is especially important against the backdrop of Joaquin Phoenix's time-tested talents.
The film also tries to be a courtroom drama, evoking memories of at least Anatomie d'une chute (2023) starring Sandra Guller, a crime story, a social statement, an unconventional take on the DC comic book canon, and much, much more. The film bounces between genres, visual techniques, and stylistic decisions too often. Accents and tricks disappear, form overshadows meaning. Even a small animated episode was found in the movie. To be honest, after watching it, I want to get the full version on some streaming service.
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Still from the movie Joker: Folie à Deux[/caption]
But let's cut off all the emotions, avant-garde attempts, and unconventional shots from the new Joker. Let's leave only the basis of the movie. What will come of it then? Frankly speaking, not much.
In total, Joker: Folie à Deux can be perceived as a very long epilogue to the first part. Until the very final scene, the characters continue to analyze Fleck's actions from the previous story. The second part offers almost nothing new, instead offering to feel rather than think. Because when you turn on your brain for a minute, you realize how bad the pacing of the film is, how some scenes exist solely for their own sake, how some moments manage to copy even the previous film, which also received a significant share of criticism for its lack of original ideas.
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Still from the movie Joker: Folie à Deux[/caption]
And the ending is sure to provoke the most controversial reaction possible. It seems to devalue the plots of the two films, abandoning their originality in favor of developing the DC cinematic universe. Of course, all of this is not yet certain, but some concerns still arise.
It is extremely easy to talk about the new Joker in a neutral way, to mention certain trivia and interesting things, of which there are hundreds in the movie. However, when you start analyzing it, it becomes much more difficult to share your thoughts. Because even to an ordinary viewer, a movie comic can seem ridiculous, overlong, absurd, and with almost no story at all.
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Still from the movie Joker: Folie à Deux[/caption]
However, Joker: Folie à Deux is not a movie about history. It's not even about visual language, editing, good sound, or an outstanding choice of music. It's a movie about emotions and individual neural impulses that occur in your head during the movie and after you return home from the theater. Because in a sense, Madness for Two is also about you and Arthur Fleck, about that invisible but so important thread that appears between you.
Are you able to evaluate cinema, which as a medium is primarily about visual information, in the language of the invisible, ephemeral and unreal? This is the key question that Joker: Folie à Deux as a work of art. And the answer to it will definitely be sought for a long time to come.