Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a man who suffers from a dual personality. His alter ego is the Joker, a comedian with literally killer jokes. In the first movie, he kills six people as the Joker. He is awaiting trial, and his lawyer, Marian Stewart (Catherine Keener), tries to bring up the dual-personality perspective and argues that Fleck should not be punished for the Joker’s crimes, but he insists that she be his lawyer. dismiss him from office and begin asserting his own point. Harvey Dent (Harry Lorty), a publicity-seeking defense attorney who represents himself, is overjoyed. Meanwhile, Fleck meets mentally disabled singer Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga) in prison. Her alter ego is Harley Quinn, and she is fascinated by the Joker and perceives him to be her feminine counterpart. Through her, Flick discovers the singer within himself. If in the first film he saw himself as a top-notch comic, here he sees himself as something akin to Fred Astaire, a singing and dancing sensation who gathers the biggest audiences everywhere. Let’s start. The film has a great soundtrack, with the two stars collaborating to cover classics like “Get Happy,” “For Once in My Life,” and “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” The film is truly a musical spectacle in which the Joker expresses his emotions in his imagination as musical songs, turning his life into a Broadway act.
Director Todd Phillips borrowed characters from the DC Comics universe while making them fresh and human. The film is set in New York, not the fictional city of Gotham. And there are a lot of real problems. We see corrupt wardens wielding power over hapless prison inmates, ambitious lawyers courting fame and power rather than justice, groupies worshiping madmen, and people losing faith in government. We see anarchy rearing its head. The film also touches on issues of identity. Who are we really? How do we appear to the world, or is it only visible in our mind’s eye? Like the first film, this one is good for your mental health. Both the Joker and Harley Quinn need counseling and could have been saved from themselves if society had been kinder to them. Again, the apathy we see is real and not from a cartoon world. The difference between the two is that Harley Quinn knows about the mask and wants to accept it, while the Joker seems to be tired of the superficiality and wants the fiction to end. That’s it.
Joaquin Phoenix, who won an Academy Award for his role as the Joker, is at his best here. The lean physique he developed for the role pays homage to his integrity as a performer. You can see Arthur Frick’s heart being unraveled through the actors’ performances. Even as Arthur realizes that he has a growing musical talent, the boundaries of reality become blurred as he tries to figure out who he really is. And unlike in the first film, he actually finds true love here – salvation for him. An actor’s face is a canvas on which a hundred expressions can be expressed as the character lives through different possibilities. This is also a once-in-a-lifetime performance for this consummate actor. Lady Gaga matches him scene by scene, unraveling the special brand of madness that is Harley Quinn. I’ve heard stories about girls who fall in love with serial killers, and she is one of those girls. She is in love and wants the world to know it. She showed us how good she is in A Star Is Born (2018), and here she proves her authority as an actor once again.
Watch this film to see performances directed by Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, and music that harkens back to the golden age of Hollywood musicals.
https://www.filmfare.com/reviews/hollywood-movies/joker-folie-a-deux-movie-review-68775.html
