Should you make a film that shows a psychopathic murderer as a sympathetic figure? That seems to be the crux of the debate surrounding Todd Phillips’ upcoming film, “Joker.” The psychopath in question, in the new comic book film, is Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix. And in a new interview with Vanity Fair, the actor explained that even though it might be uncomfortable for the audience, it’s important to show stories from the point of view of all sorts of characters, even terrible ones.
“I was going through [the ‘Joker’ script] and I realized, I said, ‘Well, why would we make something, like, where you sympathize or empathize with this villain?’” said Phoenix. “It’s like, because that’s what we have to do. It’s so easy for us to—we want the simple answers, we want to vilify people. It allows us to feel good if we can identify that as evil. ‘Well, I’m not racist ’cause I don’t have a Confederate flag or go with this protest.’ It allows us to feel that way, but that’s not healthy because we’re not really examining our inherent racism that most white people have, certainly. Or whatever it may be.”
He continued, “Whatever issues you may have. It’s too easy for us and I felt like, yeah, we should explore this villain. This malevolent person. There’s no real communication, and to me that’s the value of this. I think that we are capable as an audience to see both of those things simultaneously and experience them and value them.”
Phillips, for his part, has never once backed down from the defense of his film. And in the interview, he keeps plowing ahead with more discussion over the controversy.
“We’re making a movie about a fictional character in a fictional world, ultimately, and your hope is that people take it for what it is,” the filmmaker explained. “You can’t blame movies for a world that is so fucked up that anything can trigger it. That’s kind of what the movie is about. It’s not a call to action. If anything it’s a call to self-reflection to society.”
Obviously, there’s no real link between films and TV series and gun violence in America. If there had been a scientific study reflecting that, the entire entertainment industry would likely shut down. However, the issue that seems to be discussed with “Joker” is the difference between intent and execution.
Surely, Phillips intended on making a film that is a “call to action” and a “call to self-reflection.” However, what critics have pointed out is the execution of that intention seems to be muddled, as the film’s message is said to have been a bit lost. That being said, what most people can seemingly agree on is that Joaquin Phoenix gives one hell of a performance.
“Joker” will hit theaters on October 4.
