Sing Hallelujah, come on, be happy. Get ready for the judgement day…

The character might have been born on the pages of a 10-cent comic book, but there’s some tangible dark matter inside the Joker. This malignant clown-faced inertia draws in outstanding acting talent to big-screen interpretations. Heath Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for his depiction; Jack Nicholson earned a BAFTA  nomination for his (he may not have won, but with three Academy Awards on his shelf, he can probably put on a happy face); and then there’s the immediately relevant case of Joaquin Phoenix.

His first dance as the Joker won him an Oscar too, but his portrayal required a narrative and characterial paradigm shift to everything that has gone before. Together with director Todd Phillips, the pair illustrated a fresh face and new phase for the Joker – anchored in humanity – and in doing so, carved out a compelling biopic that charts a man’s descent into dissociative madness, colourgraded fantasy and retributive villainy.

Arkham nights

I see the benefits of a Gotham setting to the studio, I understand its value to the fans – it’s a fiercely evocative palette for the subconscious to daub from. But, and I realise I’m not the first person to say this, but… I’m absolutely convinced that both films would have the same power, intensity, depth and unnerving brilliance had they been shot beyond the DC canon. This second film dives no deeper into the lore but drags you further into the meaty cortex of Arthur’s fraying mind.

On your way there, keep an eye out for Brendan Gleeson in his delicious delivery of ‘not just another NPC’ Arkham guard; Catherine Keener as a rudder of hope in a haunting dystopia; and Harry Lawtey as the smug, single-faced prosecuting DA, Harvey Dent leading the accusatory charge in a TV trial that takes a swipe at the commodification of justice (and pretty much everything else) for the sake of entertainment.

The power of deux

Two, it turns out, is the magic number. Its presence and symbology is felt throughout the movie, and ranked for importance to the overall project, the fact this is a sequel is of purely peripheral relevance.

It’s the continuation of the story of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man rhythmically out of step with – and unable to fully comprehend – the world he exists in. A character figuratively, and during the opening sequences (in a way I won’t spoil for you) quite literally, wrestling with his own shadow. It’s a study of the duality of Arthur and Joker (also Phoenix), and of Joker and how the in-film audience perceives him.

The name Joker: Folie à Deux, directly references a psychiatric disorder – ‘shared madness’ or ‘the madness of two’, a condition where insanity is ostensibly transmitted from one to another. One of the most significant of Arthur’s ‘others’ in Folie à Deux, is of course Lee Quinzel (we assume but are never overtly told, AKA Harley-Quinn), played by Stefani Germanotta (AKA Lady Gaga). She might not get a lot of screen time, but their relationship and impact on each other is a central guiding rail for how the story plays out.

Then if you want to get really meta in a way that only high school English lit teachers usually care to do, there’s the dichotomy of film and real-world audience. There’s Todd Philipps, whose early directorial work was almost exclusively in (much-loved, superbly-scripted) comedy. And now we have the perfect celluloid negative – he’s telling us a deliberately unfunny story about a man who’s wholly unravelled by his inability to make an audience laugh, or smile along with him.

Tears of a clown

The art of truly being able to enjoy the cinematic voyage this film is capable of taking you on, is to watch it as a character study, rather than a comic book origin story or Broadway mental breakdown. It’s a fable, an unsettling, moving, art-filled, dream-like “how much of this is real?” continuation of the arc set in motion in the first part, and on that score, it’s a DC marvel.

We see new dimensions to Arthur in Folie à Deux, it’s another area ripe with potential spoilers so I’ll tread carefully, but you can expect to see a character prepared to engage with his previous actions and his shadow. By actions, I of course mean violent spree killing.

It’s not all perfect, the pacing can at points feel alternatingly lead-footed and whisper-soft on the gas pedal. As the audience we’re left wanting more from Lee’s (Germanotta) development, desperately trying to piece together the sprites of clues to the genesis of her Harley complex character. If there’s space for more in Phillip’s microcosm of the wider ‘DC multiverse’, I sincerely hope we get to see more from her.

You’ll almost certainly have heard this film called a musical, largely because there are some big song and dance numbers in it. I too was guilty of that labelling prior to its release. But the musical cutaways (for which both Phoenix and Germanotta use their own vocal talents for) are only the evolution of Arthur Fleck’s entertainment-flavoured fantasies.

For me, it’s not a musical, it’s a love story. It always has been. Arthur craves the adoration of crowds, the affection of his abusive mother, the respect of a prime-time chat show host, and in this part deux – he’s presented with what appears to be the most poetic form of love.

That I may pour my spirits in thine ear

In that way, it’s also something of a Shakespearian tragedy. Lee is our Lady Macbeth, we see more of her ambition and lust for power than any sentiment from a sonnet. And we’re never really sure of how much she presents to us is genuine. “We’re gonna build a mountain” she tells her Thane, at least once in the medium of showtune. Presumably, she’s referring to a mountain sense of guilt for Joker.

And as our poor Macbeth wrestles with Banquo’s inconvenient spectre, he’s left with the realisation he might well be, his own Macduff. If you’re currently rolling your eyes, please see the English lit teacher disclaimer above.

Verdict: If you enjoyed the first movie, watch this one without any expectations, and you’ll find its beauty. There are some enthralling performances and it’s a character-study-arc that’s a true joy to immerse yourself in.

Joker: Folie à Deux hits cinemas across the UAE on Thursday, October 3. Book your tickets: Now.

Images: Provided