What I learned from "Joker"

“I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it’s a comedy” - Arthur Fleck

That poor guy. Yes, you might have guessed. I just watched the film. It is a beautifully made film yet disturbing. So disturbing that I can’t keep it for myself, I need to discuss it with somebody after the show and now the need to write it down.

After watching the film, some people said, “Bad guys are hurt good guys”. Well, bad guys are the result of bad society, consisting of bad people who tend to do bad things to other people. I mean, why the heck that rascals just hit the clown? He was just doing his job, man. Just because he was a clown doesn’t justify the bullying act. This made me realise how bad the society is, even in real life.  Imagine you are sitting in a cafe. Next to you sits another guy who looks somewhat weird. You have never seen that kind of person before. His skin is too dark. His eyes are… too small, probably. His face is too round. His nose is less pointy and a bit too big. What comes to your mind? Let’s ridicule him? Yes? You are sick. But, hey, you are not alone. They are out there, people with similar thoughts.

The next thing I realised after the film was how important the mental health is. Arthur Fleck had a condition a.k.a. mental illness. His mother was delusional. HE is delusional. He was bullied because of his condition. But he was still functional, the medication and psychiatrist kept him from falling deeper into the hole. Then, it was cut. That’s when everything went from bad to worse, I think.

My friend : “Well, he just had bad luck. Bad things happened to him all the time. He didn’t have somebody to talk to.”
Me : “If he got help, I mean the psychotherapy and the medication weren’t cut, he might still be able to stay functional. ”
My friend : “How can you stay sane when so many bad things happen to you? Plus, he is poor. It won’t make any difference. Let’s say he had money and could afford the therapy, he would still turn out to be Joker anyway.”
Me: “If he were rich, he would become Batman instead”

When you realize your life is a comedy, it's too late