Todd Phillip's Joker movie might have been receiving critical acclaim, raking in rave reviews and bagging the best film award at this year's Venice International Film Festival, however, there's also been a lot of concern over the film.
A gritty character study of Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime, Joker is considered a disturbing psychological sketch that could potentially influence others in a dangerous way, especially when there are so many who could fit Arthur Fleck's (Joaquin Phoenix) personality and behavior in the society that we live in today.
Speaking in an interview with IGN, Phillips responds to these concerns, saying that those criticizing the film just don't really understand what Joker is aiming for.
"The movie makes statements about a lack of love, childhood trauma, lack of compassion in the world. I think people can handle that message," the director told the news site.
Sure, Arthur Fleck might be the lead star of the Joker, however, the film doesn't show him as a hero. Viewers may sympathize with the character in his journey, however, the film doesn't try to justify his increasingly horrifying behavior.
"I think that, for most of us, you're able to tell the difference between right and wrong," Phoenix added in, "And those that aren't are capable of interpreting anything in the way that they may want to. People misinterpret lyrics from songs. They misinterpret passages from books. So I don't think it's the responsibility of a filmmaker to teach the audience morality or the difference between right or wrong."
The Joker might be scary seeing how it's capable of hitting close to home in the times that we live in, but we know that audiences will be intelligent enough to see the film for what it is.
Joker premieres October 4, 2019.
Read: Jonah Hill Reportedly in Talks to Play Penguin or Riddler in Matt Reeves' The Batman
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
DC