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Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
Directed by Todd Phillips
[Rated R] 2hr 18min
★★★★
Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical thriller and sequel to Joker (2019) that follows Arthur Fleck as he serves his prison sentence for multiple murders. While his lawyer is trying to get him transferred to a mental institution, Arthur meets a woman at a music therapy session who begins to change his perspective on his current situation and inspires him to retake control of his life.
This film is an excellent sequel that continues to develop the story in ways that are completely different from the previous movie, and it’s highly effective at deconstructing significant concepts introduced in that film. Rather than focusing on the entitled, narcissistic facade of Joker that Arthur Fleck once portrayed to the public, the narrative instead showcases Arthur as the sad, pathetic man he really is. No matter what situation he finds himself in, he is constantly used by others to achieve their own selfish goals while also turning his back on those who try to help him. Whether being himself or acting as Joker, Arthur is abused and manipulated by those with power over him. This is a major contrast to his first public appearance as Joker in the previous film, where he still had his own agency due to his relative anonymity and erratic behavior. Now that people have been either horrified or inspired by his terrible actions, he has become trapped in a cycle where he must continue pleasing his zealots in order to both maintain the attention he craves and keep them on his side. Overall, it’s a tragic story that demonstrates the destructive consequences of perpetuating class divisions and highlights the negative effect this has on individuals and society as a whole.
In addition, the film effectively incorporates its musical elements by intertwining them with the themes of reality and fantasy. Rather than involving bombastic musical numbers that forsake realism for spectacle, the performances remain grounded and realistically reflect the evolving mindsets of characters at key moments throughout the film. Whether a character actually begins singing or imagines a performance in their head, the differences in the ways that their emotions are conveyed through music offers critical insight into their personal mental states. As a result, the music illustrates how fantasies can inform and alter one’s perception of reality due to the emotional connotations associated with them.
Although Joker: Folie à Deux is a great movie, certain audiences may find it difficult to fully appreciate depending on their own personal preferences. People who enjoy traditional musicals who are only interested in that style of musical, as well as people who don’t enjoy musicals at all, will likely feel disappointed by those elements in this film. Comic book fans who desire accurate movie adaptations of comics and fans of Joker (2019) who want something similar for the sequel are also unlikely to enjoy it due to the significant differences from both. I recommend this film to anyone not included in those groups and to those who are genuinely interested in seeing what this movie has to offer because it provides a unique experience as a sequel that directly explores and expands on elements previously presented in the first movie but in a completely different manner.
Joker: Folie à Deux releases in theaters today. Click here to watch the Official Teaser Trailer.
– Review by Will Hopper
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