Joker: Folie à Deux director Todd Phillips addressed the film's controversial ending and Arthur Fleck's tragic fate.
This article includes spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux, so proceed with caution.
Since its release last weekend, the sequel has been heavily criticized by fans and critics. One of the reasons is its polarizing ending and what it meant to Arthur Fleck as a character throughout his journey in the two films.
To recap, the sequel ended with an Arkham Asylum inmate (played by Jacob Lofland) repeatedly stabbing Arthur in the abdomen and carving a smile on his face. He laughed hysterically as Arthur bleeds to death.
Todd Phillips Explains Joker: Folie à Deux's Controversial Ending
In an interview, Phillips explained his creative decisions for the ending of Joker: Folie à Deux which has polarized a lot of fans.
He opened up about why Arthur renounced his Joker persona to the jury during his closing statement in the trial and how Arthur was never the Joker all along.
"He realized that everything is so corrupt, it’s never going to change, and the only way to fix it is to burn it all down. When those guards kill that kid in the [hospital] he realizes that dressing up in makeup, putting on this thing, it’s not changing anything," the filmmaker said.
"In some ways, he’s accepted the fact that he’s always been Arthur Fleck; he’s never been this thing that’s been put upon him, this idea that Gotham people put on him, that he represents. He’s an unwitting icon. This thing was placed on him, and he doesn’t want to live as a fake anymore — he wants to be who he is."
Phillips added that "the sad thing is, he's Arthur, and nobody cares about Arthur," and Gaga's Lee was "realizing, I’m on a whole other trip, man, you can’t be what I wanted you to be."
This is an interesting remark from the filmmaker as he strongly emphasized that the films were always about Arthur Fleck, not the Joker even if the titles say that they are "Joker" movies that are part of a separate franchise that is different from the rest of DC.
Fans might get some clarification regarding the ending from Phillips' remarks in the interview, but one thing's for sure, the public has completely rejected the idea that they presented and the discourse will continue to be polarizing.
Joker: Folie à Deux is showing in theaters everywhere.
What do you think of Phillips' remarks? Let us know in the comments!
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