Phoenix’s Joker is one of the most complex characters I’ve encountered in film- and here’s why:

 Ever since I left the cinema some two weeks ago I have not been able to forget this film. Having never been a marvel or DC superhero fan, I had dabbled little (in fact not at all) in superhero films, Batman included. While this most definitely makes me a ‘fake fan’, I still believe that the Joker should be regarded as a brilliant film in its own right.

Expecting little from the film, I arrived in the cinema for the first time in years, since rarely films tend to catch my eye and the only reason I went was because my boyfriend suggested it. However, from the outset, I was so encapsulated by Phoenix’s character. There was something about the rawness of Phoenix’s acting that really moved me. The dancing scenes, choreographed to perfection in the most intricate of ways, were incredibly moving. The film played out like an emotional rollercoaster, taking me from one extreme to the other. I felt like I was completely falling in love with this Frankenstenian-type outcast.

Ever since seeing that film, I find myself often Googling the trailer or any clips I can find on the internet about Phoenix. Just the other day I stumbled upon an article stating his disturbing weight loss- 50kg in 3 months. Just a quick Youtube search took me to an interview with Joaquin describing the crippling effects of this starvation, and I realised the acting that had seemed so raw, was in-part because it was. He described becoming obsessive over food, isolating himself and becoming fatigued whilst preparing for his role. These eating disorder symptoms unearthed the tragedy of the Joker’s character to somehow resonate deeply with Phoenix himself as it became an internal struggle played out both personally and on-screen. The mental deterioration that accompanies an eating disorder seemed to make Phoenix’s character far more complex that I first imagined. I felt deeply saddened by the actor’s committal to a role engendering a mental health disorder.

I was fascinated by Phoenix both in Joker and off-screen and I could not stop thinking about the sense of sheer genius I had witnessed throughout the film (que the stair scene). I began researching Pheonix’s life and thus found out that he was raised in the infamous cult ‘The Children of God’. Despite denying any misconduct whilst his time spent in the cult as a child, I still felt that there may be everlasting consequences to having been a member of such an abhorrent cult. I realised that the childhood trauma in Joker was so moving to me because it was played by a man who, despite being an illusive and somewhat closed off character, exhibited undeniable performances of sheer emotional turmoil through his acting. Hearing interviews with ex-cult members, who claimed that they weren’t at all surprised by the good acting of Joaquin Phoenix and Rose Mcgowan, was truly saddening to me but at the same time I had an overriding respect for these people who had achieved so much when faced with so little. I think, then, that the complexity of Joker in this film could not have been executed by a better actor to show the disturbing and tragic consequences of childhood trauma and abuse, as well as complete isolation and withdrawl. Whatever it is, Joker remains, and probably will still remain, one of the greatest characters I've seen in film.