Warner Bros. Pictures releases Joker: Folie À Deux in UK cinemas on October 4, 2024.
Synopsis
The sequel finds Arthur Fleck 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.
Review
In 2019 Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix breathed new life in to a classic comic book character with Joker. Seemingly coming out of nowhere the film lauded by the Oscars with wins for Phoenix as Best Actor and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir for Best Original Score alongside nominations for Best Director and Best Film. Now, five years later Phillips, Phoenix, Guðnadóttir and new pal Lady Gaga are hoping lightning strikes twice with a musically-inspired sequel.
Much of Joker’s original production team, including Cinematographer Lawrence Sher, Editor Jeff Groth and cast members Leigh Gill, Zazie Beetz and Sharon Washington all return for Joker: Folie À Deux. It’s an determined sequel which doesn’t simply attempt to retread the steps of the past. It’s clear Phillips and Phoenix heard the cries of “this film doesn’t need a sequel” and found the most original and engaging way to attempt to recapture the audience.
Phillips makes it clear from the very first frame that Folie À Deux won’t follow convention. An ambitious animated sequence opens the film. Designed in the classic Warner Bros. Looney Tunes style, there’s no DC-logo in sight and harkens back to an age of cinema where the marquee title was preceded by an animated short. Whilst it doesn’t gloss over the violence of the titular character, it presents it in a way which instantly elicits giggles from the audience. In reality this is a bold statement from Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver. Welcome to the mad house. Welcome to a film made to represent the mindset of a crazy person.
Shifting in to live-action, it’s now been two years since Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) murdered Murray Franklin (Robert Di Nero) live on TV. He’s remanded in custody in Arkham State Hospital awaiting trial. The bulk of his time is spent in the maximum security wing where he exists alongside some of Gotham’s most mentally ill. His daily routine of medication and outdoor activity is monitored by Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson) and a team of Arkham guards whose methods are questionable at best and deplorable at worst. Arthur has a guardian angel in his lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) who is preparing for his upcoming trial.
Passing through the main hospital to meet with Stewart, Arthur has a chance meeting with inmate Lee Quinn (Lady Gaga). The two form an instant connection when Lee makes it clear she is a fan of Joker and so begins a toxic and ill-fated relationship. Lee is very much the inciting incident which spins Folie À Deux on its axis. Her existence plays in to Arthur’s obsession with the women in his life. The added reward that Lee has a fascination with Joker is enough to push Arthur towards accepting a far more dark and deadly fate. Lee becomes a constant force driving much of Arthur’s decision-making throughout the film.
Structurally Joker: Folie À Deux is somewhat scattershot. Never a straight-up romance it does have to build a relationship between Arthur and Lee out of necessity. But then there’s the courtroom drama aspect, the underlying corruption of Gotham and the wider impact of Arthur’s killing spree all vying for attention. Layered on top of that to create an entirely new experience is a musical element. Context is king when it comes to Folie À Deux getting both Arthur and Lee singing. Much has been written disparaging the film’s use of classic Hollywood musical tropes. But in practicality Silver and Phillips script introduces this new storytelling component in the most natural and authentic way. When Arthur first lays eyes on Lee she is attending a music class in Arkham. A sensible and real-world tool for rehabilitation. They connect through music and it underpins their relationship the way that dance became an intrinsic part of Arhtur’s characterisation in the first film.
It’s not an all out onslaught of technicolour signing and dancing. No that comes later when Arthur has (unsurprisingly) stopped taking his medication. There’s a smooth arc to the film’s musical elements which ramps up as Arthur loses his grasp on reality, falling head over heels for Lee. Of course you don’t cast an incredible talent like Lady Gaga and not provide her with an opportunity to sing. But in reality Lee isn’t as gifted as Gaga, a prime example of the level of thought which has been given to the construction of these two broken people.
Folie À Deux tries to find a new way to present Arthur to avoid repeating the past. Early in the film there are discussions about split personality disorder. Somewhere buried in the busy script is a psychological exploration of what it means to be both Arthur Fleck and Joker. It flirts with the possibility that Arthur is a victim. A potential figure for forgiveness in the eyes of Gotham’s people. Though the idea is swept aside as Arthur descends deeper in to obsession with Lee. It circles back in a key moment in the courtroom which see’s Arthur wholeheartedly accepting that duality isn’t as black-and-white as some may have us believe.
Phoenix returns to the role without missing a beat. The awkwardness of his physicality, the pain in his eyes and that childish bewilderment at the world are all back. Only now they’re also infused in to his surprisingly assured musical performances. Much of his time in the Joker makeup is relegated to the second half. The first half saving Joker for glimpses in his musical fantasies. But the change in personality and presence which exist between Arthur and Joker serves as a reminder why the Academy saw fit to bestow Phoenix with that Best Actor trophy.
Gaga’s Lee has more in common with Harley Quinn’s origins than anticipated. Buried deep beneath Lee’s surface beats the heart of Paul Dini’s creation. Only now she’s written to fit in to this powder keg version of Gotham City. A city which sits on the precipice of falling victim to the idea of Joker. Something which Lee buys in to without hesitance. The film plays heavily on whether Lee has fallen in love with Arthur or with Joker. It’s a unique approach which is impossible to explore in mainstream comics where Arthur doesn’t exist. Folie À Deux allows Phillips to ask questions about Lee which could only be mined in an Elseworlds story. But then that’s what this is, isn’t it?
There are moments when it’s difficult to separate character from actor. When Arthur’s fantasy sequences call for Lee to perform well beyond her capabilities it’s entirely Gaga on screen. The fantasy version of Lee exudes confidence and vocal prowess, owning the screen whenever she appears. Whilst the “real” Lee is somewhat more muted yet equally as dangerous. Her role in the story is less than some may expect. Perhaps a Best Supporting Actress rather than Lead Actress nomination lies in her future. But the impact of Lee is felt across the film and that requires a strength of performance which Gaga is more than capable of.
It’s a shock that Joker ever received a sequel. The film stands as a cautionary tale open to wide interpretation. Something for which it drew both heavy praise and criticism. This sequel will draw an equal measure of both. At times it almost seeks to critique its predecessor for its dark aspects by brining method to literal madness. But in doing so Phillips invites the audience in to something comic book fans have been aware of for decades. The idea of Joker. The irrepressibility of Joker and the inevitability that, as Anthony Newley sang it, “there’s always a Joker in the pack”. Whilst its ending may prove to be controversial, Joker: Folie À Deux certainly sticks with you long after you leave the cinema.
Verdict
Joker: Folie À Deux is a searing portrayal of two broken individuals stuck in a broken system. Phoenix returns to Arthur as if no time has passed whilst Gaga is a beguiling Harley Quinn perfectly redesigned to fit Todd Phillips’ Gotham.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
