Movie Review - "Joker" (2019) A monster born of loneliness / 『ジョーカー』(2019)の感想。孤独が生んだ怪物(English&Japanese)

(日本語は後半にあります)

【English】

Hello to everyone in the Movies & TV Shows community! This is my first post to this community.

Image Source:IMDb

Do you ever have the urge to watch a movie that weighs heavily on your mind? I do from time to time. Yesterday was one of those times and I played "Joker" (2019) on Netflix. I was curious about it because it was mentioned on X (Twitter) a while ago as a "very depressing movie".

When I searched for "Joker" on Google, words such as "don't watch" and "terrible" appeared as suggestions. I was prepared for how bad the movie would be, but it was not as bad as I had imagined. In fact, I even thought the ending might be a happy one.

The film tells the story of how the Joker, the villain in the "Batman" series, was created. This is a so-called "birth story" type of film.


The setting is Gotham City in the 1980s, where the gap between rich and poor is widening and crime is rampant. The main character, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), earns his living as a part-time temporary clown, dreaming of one day becoming a successful comedian. A brain injury sustained as a child has left him with a mental disorder that causes him to "burst out laughing all of a sudden," and he is considered creepy even at work. He also had to take care of his elderly and sickly mother by himself, leading a life that was truly "rock bottom". As his situation worsens day by day, Arthur is further disadvantaged, unreasonable, and in trouble, he shoots and kills three elite businessmen on the subway. And this incident led him down the road to becoming the "Joker".

Image Source:IMDb

What I felt from the film was Arthur's tremendous loneliness. I have seen commentary that the Joker was born out of anger at an unreasonable society. ...... Is that true? For me, the movie was more about suffocating loneliness and confusion than anger (especially in the first half). The notepad Arthur uses is full of his misspellings... It shows that his handicap is not only an illness that makes him "suddenly burst out laughing," but that his brain damage probably affects his intelligence as well. Perhaps this is why he doesn't know what is wrong with him and always seems confused.

He himself was a good person and tried to be kind to others, but because of his unusual chronic illness, he was rejected by those around him. He was lonely. Yet, when he had support from the city for his illness (even if it was only a formality), a job, and people to exchange words with at work (even if they made fun of him), he was able to keep himself together. However, when his support was cut off for budgetary reasons and he was fired from his job, he became even more isolated.

Image Source:IMDb

From that moment on he gradually transformed into a "joker". But I was okay with that! His situation before the Joker was that bad. I often watch these "fall to the dark side" type stories with a feeling of "Oh no, don't go that way," as if to hold back the protagonist, but this movie was different. Rather, I thought he should be the joker. He couldn't have a bright future either way, but I felt that part of his heart would be fulfilled and rewarded if he became the Joker rather than living in a corner of Gotham as a feeble mentally ill guy.

He wanted to be a comedian, but until then, no one paid much attention to him. But once he became a joker, he became the center of attention and even gained a large following. The last part was even exhilarating. I wondered if I was crazy to think that this last part was "good for Arthur" who became the Joker, but... I guess there must be others who feel the same way as I do.

Image Source:IMDb

I'm sure there will be mixed reviews, but I hope you will watch this movie! And I would be happy to know what you think of it😊








【Japanese】

Movies & TV Showsコミュニティの皆さん、こんにちは。今日初めて、このコミュニティに投稿します。

画像出典:IMDb

心にズシンとくる映画を観たくなること、ないですか?私は時々あります。昨日も何となくそんな気分で、Netflixで『ジョーカー』(2019)を再生しました。少し前に、X(Twitter)で「鬱映画」として紹介されていたこともあり、気になっていた映画です。

Googleで「ジョーカー」と検索してみると、続いて「観ない方がいい」「えぐい」などといったワードがサジェストで表示されます。一体どんな酷い映画なのだろう・・・ と覚悟して観ましたが、想像していたような酷い映画ではありませんでした。むしろ、このラストはある意味ハッピーエンドなんじゃないかとすら思ってしまいました。

この映画は「バットマン」シリーズの「ダークナイト」に登場する悪役ジョーカーが、どのようにしてジョーカーになるに至ったかを描いたものです。いわゆる「誕生秘話」的な映画です。


舞台は1980年代、貧富の格差が拡大し、犯罪の横行するゴッサムシティ。主人公のアーサー・フレック(ホアキン・フェニックス)は、いつかコメディアンとして成功することを夢見ながら、派遣ピエロのアルバイトで生計を立てていました。幼い頃の脳の損傷により、「突然笑い出す」という精神疾患をもつ彼は、職場でも気味悪がられています。さらに高齢で病弱な母の介護を一人で担い、まさに「どん底」な生活を送っていました。日々悪くなっていく状況の中、さらなる不遇、理不尽、トラブルが重なった末、アーサーは地下鉄で3人のエリートサラリーマンを銃で撃ち殺してしまいます。そしてこの出来事をきっかけに、彼は「ジョーカー」への道を突き進んでいくことになります。

画像出典:IMDb

私がこの映画から感じたのは、アーサーのすさまじい孤独でした。ジョーカーは理不尽な社会に対する怒りから生まれたのだ、とする解説も見かけますが… そうなのでしょうか?私にとっては、怒りよりも、窒息しそうな孤独と混乱を感じる映画でした(前半は特に)。アーサーが使っているネタ帳は誤字だらけ…それは、彼のハンディキャップが「突然笑いだす」病気だけでなく、おそらく脳の損傷が知能にも影響しているであろうことを表しています。そのためか、彼には何がどうして上手くいかないのか分からず、常に混乱しているように見えました。

彼自身は善人で、人に対して優しく接しようとするけれど、変わった持病のせいもあり受け入れられない。彼は孤独でした。それでも、市による彼の病気に対する支援があったり(たとえ形式的なものであっても)、仕事があり、職場で言葉を交わす相手がいた頃は(たとえ馬鹿にされていても)、何とか保てていたのだと思います。しかし、予算の都合で支援が打ち切られ、仕事もクビになったことで、彼はさらに孤独を深めていきます。

画像出典:IMDb

そこから彼は徐々に「ジョーカー」へと変貌していくわけですが、私としてはもうその道を全力で応援せざるを得ない!それくらい、ジョーカー以前の彼のおかれた境遇は酷過ぎました。こういう「ダークサイドに堕ちていく」系のストーリーは、「あぁぁ~ そっちに行っちゃダメだよ~!」と主人公を引き止めるような思いで観ることが多いのに、この映画は違いました。むしろ、ジョーカーになった方がいい。どっちにしても明るい未来は望めないけれど、気弱な障碍者としてゴッサムの片隅で生きるよりは、ジョーカーになった方が彼の心の一部は満たされ、報われる気がする。

コメディアンになりたかった彼は、それまで誰からも注目されることはありませんでした。しかしジョーカーになった途端に人々の話題の中心となり、多くの支持者まで得ることができたのです。ラストは爽快ですらありました。ジョーカーになったアーサーに対して、「良かったね」と思ってしまう私は頭がおかしいのだろうか、と思いつつ… 同じような感情を抱く人もいるのではないでしょうか。

画像出典:IMDb

賛否は分かれそうですが、ぜひ観て欲しい作品です!そしてどう思ったか… 感想を教えてもらえたら嬉しいです😊

Posted Using InLeo Alpha



0
0
0.000
5 comments
avatar

I have watched it, you have reviewed it awesome.

Great to be a movie buff.

avatar

Thank you! I've loved movies since I was a teenager and used to watch them all the time. It's hard to find time for it since the birth of my children, but I would like to share my favorite movies here.

avatar

The worst thing I could appreciate about the film is the breakdown of society at the end "trying to follow the character of the Joker" and set him up as a hero - madness!

I liked it, there are even psychologists who have made formal studies of all the pathologies that this character had.

I enjoyed it. Does that make me twisted? heh,heh,heh.

avatar

there are even psychologists who have made formal studies of all the pathologies that this character had.


I didn't know that! Watching the film, the process of Arthur becoming the Joker seemed very natural. Terrifyingly so.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this storyline, I do too. Of course, I didn't enjoy seeing Arthur in pain, I was excited to see an all too realistic portrayal and story.
Thanks for the thoughts!