I recently saw the Joker movie, which is a fantastic and nuanced film that explores the character of Joker as well issues around mental health and class. When I saw the movie it got me thinking about the first time I met the Joker and my ongoing fascination with his character. It happened when I saw the first 80’s Batman movie, where Jack Nicholson was the Joker. Before seeing that movie, I didn’t know who Batman or the Joker were because I wasn’t reading comics then, but watching the movie made a powerful impression on me. I wasn’t sure who to root for, because what Joker represented in that movie wasn’t just a bad guy, but someone who rebelled against the systems of authority that were in place. And I could identify with that, because I grew up in a fairly strict home, where I was grounded at the drop of a hat (among other things).
A few years later I was introduced to the Joker again, this time through Batman the animated series. The cartoon Joker was both sinister and funny and its fair to say my favorite episodes were the ones where Batman was pitted against Joker. It wasn’t until later that I really began to see the darker side of Joker, both in comics, film and short stories. It was then I began to recognize why perhaps the Joker wasn’t a character I wanted to root for.
Here was the being of chaos who didn’t care who he hurt in his quest to face Batman. He didn’t stand for anything. He just was just unleashing chaos and havoc for the sake of doing it. And seeing him in that light, plus his problematic relationship with Harlequinn, where he’d regularly beat and abuse her just didn’t set well with me.
So I’ll admit I went to the new Joker movie wondering just what it would be that I would see. I saw the reviews about how the movie was violent (big surprise there), but I was curious to see how the actual character of the Joker would be treated. And I was pleasantly surprised, both because the film wasn’t nearly as violent as people made it out to, but also because of how nuanced they made the character of the person who becomes the Joker.
Instead of seeing gratuitous violence and chaos for the sake of doing it, what I saw an exploration of mental health and class issues as well as a thought provoking interpretation for the character of the Joker that actually made me feel a sense of sympathy for him. By the end of the movie I was rooting for him to have a win of some type, and I feel like the movie delivered on that and while I wouldn’t necessarily advocate what he did, I could appreciate what drove him to that point.
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I recommend seeing it to appreciate the nuanced approach to the character of the Joker as well as the societal issues explored in the movie.
