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Joker: Folie a Deux Is A Good Movie

I approached Joker: Folie à Deux with very low expectations. I mean, 5 out of 10 on IMDb—it couldn’t be that bad, right?
Surprisingly, it wasn’t. (Spoilers ahead!)

I loved the first movie.
A sensitive, tender soul lives in hell and is reborn through it—in the worst way imaginable. It’s a sad, tragic story, but it’s also deeply beautiful. It wasn’t a “literally me” thing, but I could relate, in some way.
Clearly, many others could relate, too, which explains the movie’s popularity—especially among those who feel wronged by society.
Don’t we all love a good revenge story? And what could be more universally compelling than revenge on society itself?

And so, the sequel…
I think many people expected more of the same—Joaquin Phoenix going on a murderous rampage, tearing through Gotham’s corrupt elite, with Lady Gaga by his side. Eat the rich! Screw the system!

But what we got instead was a real sequel—a conclusive ending to a sad, sad story, one that had been misunderstood by many as simply an “origin story for an edgy anti-villain.”

By the end of the original movie, poor Arthur is hailed as a symbol by an angry mob.
But here’s the bitter truth: the mob doesn’t care about him. They care about the symbol. Arthur becomes a tool, inspiration at best, completely dispensable at worst. They never intended to save or help him.

Lady Gaga’s Harley provides an excellent reflection of that dynamic and, in my opinion, serves as the real villain of the sequel. (Society itself plays a lesser role this time, as the movie takes place almost entirely within the confines of a prison and courtroom.)
Harley isn’t in love with Arthur. She’s in love with the Joker.
We watch, heartbroken, as Arthur becomes enthralled by her presence, mistaking her affections for real love—the first he’s possibly ever known in his life.
But Harley doesn’t want Arthur. Perhaps she even detests him for not being “the Joker.” She’s infatuated with the myth, the chaos, to the extent that she declares, “The Joker is the real you.”

And that’s where the movie does something truly remarkable: it allows Arthur to reject the Joker.
There’s a brilliantly executed scene where Arthur runs away from a Joker impersonator, symbolizing his choice to shed this false identity and remain true to himself, no matter the cost.
The tragic finale then takes hold—Harley, disappointed, abandons him, and Arthur is murdered in the prison by a random Joker fanatic.

But here’s the difference: Arthur dies as himself, not as Joker.

So, is it a good movie?
I’d say—yes, it’s a good movie. A fantastic sequel. An almost perfect deconstruction of a character.
It likely took immense courage for the director to make such a bold narrative choice. For that, I can’t help but respect him—haters be damned.