The Joker.
I just rewatched The Joker (The Joker, 2019). What a FANTASTICALLY scary but insightful film, I
am left with lots of questions that the film so brilliantly raises. This film is very dark being a psychological thriller but the content is important and relevant to so many areas of the life we live in right now. I believe this is what makes the film so scary.'The worst part about having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don't' (The Joker, 2019)
Why does this quote hit so true? I look in on myself on this one, I remember times shamefully that I have looked away from people acting strangely on the tube or taken a different route to avoid them. This is the way society views abnormal behaviour.
Abnormal:(Hornblower, Spawforth and Eidinow, 2012)
This is why The Joker is such a brilliant film raising awareness of topics that have no definite solution and therefore emphasises society's failings to these people.
Another huge theme in the film is the Rich VS Poor. A common theme and one perhaps that has a particular relevance in current times. It speaks of the way that the rich get richer and the poor are left to fend for themselves and are blamed for being poor and not 'making something of themselves' this then becomes an outrage and rioting starts. We've seen this on numerous occasions in real life when people's voices have been ignored for far too long and the only thing left to do is protest. But these people are angry and ignored and violence stirs from this. What the film does so brilliantly is raise these issues where you can clearly see the problem but do you agree with the solution? By the end of the film The Joker is murdering all sorts of people so I'd hope we wouldn't agree with him, however it's interesting to note that you do UNDERSTAND why and how he has been DRIVEN to this point. Here is a man who has been betrayed, bullied and let down by every person he has ever met, he has been mentally and physically abused throughout his entire life and been forced into a happy, farcical pretence. He as a microcosm for the whole of the poor society has had enough of people belittling him and he is so angry at the way he has been treated that he reacts on impulse which for him we see is aggression and murder. Let me remind everyone that this is a piece of fiction. HOWEVER we have seen this same psychological reasoning in real life in Derren Brown's TV show 'The Push'. (The Push, 2018) This shows how a variety of people could be persuaded through a series of much smaller actions building to bigger ones to push someone willingly off a building. When I watched this programme I was in disbelief but it shows you how the mind can be manipulated and worked as a direct cause of your surroundings and interactions.
'What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society who abandons him and treats him like trash?' (The Joker, 2019)
What this film has flowing through it is The Human Condition. We are all capable of extreme things both wonderful and awful. We are all exactly the same, the only difference is our education and situation, in other words our privilege.
Reflecting on my own professional practice, I understand that I am only where I am today thanks to my privilege. Added to that is my hard work and determination which KEEPS me moving forwards, but without those initial steps I could not be here.
Diary of a Performer xx
Great post and I love this film, might re-watch it but I do remember after watching it how questioned it made me feel (if thats a thing) Never seen the push so might try and grab a look at that.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that you have dived into the physiological meaning of the film. My bf and I tend to do this a lot with films like this. Try and watch 'the old guard' on Netflix as thats good for that too.
I agree we have a privilege that is hard to deny- I don't however particularly agree with the fact that only 'privileged ' people plus hard work gets you the carrot. If you take a look back in history there are so many people who have risen from nothing to become world leaders, or athletes. Look at Anthony d'costa! An amazing ballet dancer from the slums of south America. I believe that if you want something hard enough you will fight your way to the top.
But going back to you idea of mental health issues. Correct... people assume individuals who have been 'diagnosed' with an issue should act a certain way- while presuming they should act another- while hoping they would just be a different way around us. x
it's true-completely agree, and also there are privileged people who have committed terrible acts, I guess there's something deeper down to think about that I haven't got to yet! In the sense of the police brutality we're seeing come to light at the moment I would say that was down to a superiority complex perhaps? controlling behaviour? lots and lots to delve into! I'll give The Old Guard a watch thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh yeah...I forgot about all the terrible things the police do in their position of power and privilege. lots to think about here I suppose.
DeleteHi Laura, I have never seen that film properly so when I get time I think I need to sit down and properly watch it!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who works on a mental health inpatient ward I can say I have seen all of this from experience. One thing that "tips people over the edge" to their hospital admission is often people pretending to be ok for so long that eventually they just break. Then it is a longer process to recovery.
The stigma of mental health is still well and truly around and if only we were able to change that as much as people think we have, most patients would reach out sooner and be able to get better from home treatment.
I think mental health is still nowhere near where it needs to be especially in terms of general stigma understanding but we are getting there and the more discussions like this that are created the sooner this will happen!
So thank you so much for this insightful blog x