Joker

I'm a little late to the party, but last night I finally saw Joker. As someone who is pursuing a career in psychiatry, especially in forensics, I was greatly interested in this film. I am not one for super hero movies, but Joker is far from that. It is truly a film about a man's descend into madness. Without too many spoilers, Arthurs aka Joker is diagnosed with Pseudobulbar affect (PBA). Shadowing a psychologist, I actually interacted with a patient with this disorder, and it truly is difficult to deal with. The disorder largely strains from brain injury, and can be highly painful for those with the disorder. Joaquin Phoenix did a masterful job in displaying the fear, and stigma experienced by those with the disorder. It can be difficult to form social connectedness, relationships, or even keep a job when you find yourself falling to fits of uncontrollable laughter. Throughout the film, viewers see the way in which stigma, the opinion of others, and betrayal by those he thought he could trust slowly lead Joker down the path he takes. What I truly loved about this movie was that it was not a movie about "The Joker" it was a film about Arthur and the way in which the darkness in the world ate as his very being to the point where all that was left of him was Joker. I always thought about the creation of Joker as similar to children that develop dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, to protect their delicate psyche from the trauma they are experiencing. And as the movie unfolds, Arthur's life is really tragedy after tragedy until he finds control in murder and chaos. It truly is interesting to watch as Arthur is slowly chipped away to reveal Joker. The great part about this film is the audience can be universal, individual who enjoy psychology/serial killers would love this film, as well as those who enjoy the Batman series. Truly a wonderful film, and I can't wait to see it again next weekend!