Arthur Fleck is institutionalized at Arkham, awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.
2019 was indeed a spectacular year for cinema. It was one of my favorites within the last several years, and I’d be in good hands to bet that most cinephiles would agree. It was the year that brought us spectacular sophomore films from Robert Eggers and Ari Aster, a year that gave us Sam Mendes’ masterpiece World War 1 film “1917,” Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood,” and the year that, for the very first time, saw a foreign film taking home the coveted Best Picture award from the Oscars, that film of course being Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite.” Whereas I commonly struggle to choose between one or two films as my year’s favorite, this was a year where I struggled to determine which one sat at the top of the list for me. The one that I ultimately decided on was the year’s most polarizing and arguably most controversial film, which was Todd Phillips’ “Joker.” The film drew controversy with its depiction of wage disparity and mental health. It even drummed up some media fears that it would influence self-proclaimed outsiders to inflict violence at the cinema. Despite all of this, however, “Joker” went on to mass success, earning lead actor Joaquin Phoenix an Academy Award for his portrayal of the titular character and crossing the billion dollar mark on a meager budget of fifty-five million dollars, becoming the highest grossing R-rated film at the time.
After much speculation regarding whether or not there would be a sequel, a likely scenario given the original’s success, Todd Phillips announced in 2022 that there was, indeed, a sequel in development. While some fans found this exciting, others argued the need for a sequel at all, and eventually, a greater divide grew between fans as Phillips made two shocking announcements, the first being that his “Joker” sequel would be a musical, and the second being that Lady Gaga would be portraying Harley Quinn, already a fan favorite since her debut in “Batman: The Animated Series” made even more popular in 2016 when first portrayed by Margot Robbie in “Suicide Squad,” a film that received overwhelmingly negative reviews despite most agreeing that Robbie was a success in the role. With little else known about the upcoming production, “Joker: Folie à Deux” quickly became one of the most highly anticipated films of 2024.
“Folie à Deux” picks up two years after Arthur Fleck’s violent rampage through Gotham City, finding Fleck as an inmate at Arkham Asylum awaiting trial for his crimes, where Assistant DA Harvey Dent will be seeking the death penalty as punishment. Arthur has grown to be something of a legend at Arkham Asylum, much to the ire of its guards, particularly the main man in charge, Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), an at times charming man with a brutal dark side who seeks to inflict as much physical punishment on Fleck as he can when Fleck isn’t serving as his amusement for cigarette privileges. Arthur’s attorney, Maryanne Stewart, portrayed by the consistently dominant force of Catherine Keener, has grown convinced that Arthur and Joker are two different personalities entirely, dedicating her time with Arthur to proving this theory true in an effort to save him from execution.
While awaiting trial, Arthur meets Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a lovely but not all-that-put-together Arkham Inmate in a separate wing, committed to the institution by her mother after committing arson. She’s smitten by Arthur in all of his freedom and his will to be who she believes him to be, and the dark and twisted romance made famous through these characters over the year kicks into full gear as they descend into a relationship of chaos and madness.
Joaquin Phoenix once again stuns with his portrayal of Arthur Fleck/Joker, reducing himself back down to the sickening weight first seen in the original film and slipping right back into the broken character with ease, as though it hasn’t been five years since the release of the previous film. He is a powerhouse of an actor, and after his warm reception in Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” he’s certainly here to prove it. The entire cast is amazing; in fact, no surprise given the impressive body of work this stacked cast has between them, but the underdog performance here is Lady Gaga as Lee Quinzel, a character whose psyche seems to be just as damaged as Arthur’s, but with just enough of an opposite fracture that they genuinely seem to complete one another. Gaga does a splendid job portraying her character’s multiple changes from one direction to another, and with the chemistry that she holds with Phoenix here, it almost seems like this was the role she was born to play. While some of her past performances never quite hit the mark from start to finish, this is the role that showcases her star power on the silver screen. And it’s fascinating to watch these two work across from each other.
The dance sequences are breathtaking, and most of the music numbers hit effectively. Any doubt one may have had after Phillips’s announcement that his highly anticipated sequel would be a musical should be brushed aside immediately because it’s through these numbers that we get to dive deep down to explore these fractured psyches truly, and it’s never short of fascinating. Phillips took a bold chance here with his experiment and risks driving people away from the film, but this reviewer believes it pays off in full.
Where the first “Joker” explored a nation’s failure to uphold treatment options for its citizens who struggle with mental illness, “Folie à Deux” takes it a step further by demonstrating how the public reacts to and turns on those who suffer it. The guards here are docile when Arthur’s illness is amusing but turn violent when he suffers a full break. The public is fascinated by it until they see it in action or until it doesn’t present itself, as obviously as they would like to see it for their own entertainment. A psychiatric exam is glossed over in a mere 89 minutes, ignoring pertinent for the sake of deeming Arthur fit for trial. In a nation with gun violence that increases daily and is met with cries of “mental illness” with no actual plans on how to address it, Todd Phillips has created something that fits in just as well with our modern society as his 2019 film did upon release.
“Folie à Deux” isn’t a perfect film by any means. While it gets so much right, there are moments here and there that drag as it develops into a courtroom drama. Moments that seem like crucial moments seem rushed at times, and characters that appear from the last film feel like they could have been utilized more if Phillips didn’t seem preoccupied with keeping the run time below the two-and-a-half-hour mark and ending the movie on a questionable whimper. With another twenty minutes, I believe the film may have been as perfect as its predecessor, but unfortunately, it has enough moments that don’t quite hit the mark and are noticeable enough to detract from its overall quality.
Even still, there are enough stunning moments to make it a real spectacle of a film, certainly better than I feel the majority who loved the first film would have ever expected it to be. It’s a grim love story, and if the 2019 film was lightning in a bottle, this proves that lightning can strike twice, if in a slightly more underwhelming fashion.
In a weak year for cinema, “Joker: Folie à Deux” still manages to stand out and comes highly recommended by yours truly.
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