Joker: Folie à Deux

“Joker: Folie à Deux has the same issues as its predecessor, proving that, like Arthur, the filmmakers haven’t grown or changed.”

Title: Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
Director: Todd Phillips 👨🏼🇺🇸
Writers: Scott Silver 👨🏼🇺🇸 and Todd Phillips 👨🏼🇺🇸

Reviewed by Gavin 👨🏼🇬🇧🌈♿

—MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD—

Technical: 2/5

Unlike most superhero movies, 2019’s Joker didn’t just gross a billion dollars at the box office—it also picked up two Oscars and the most nominations of any film at the 92nd Academy Awards. Todd Phillips’ dark character study of one of the most iconic comic-book villains received praise for its technical achievements and ambitions, even when it caused a stir for its controversial exploration of mental illness.

Joker: Folie à Deux follows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), aka the titular Joker, after his murder spree in the previous film. Now a quiet shell of a man in Arkham Asylum, who takes medication in between being abused by the officers, Arthur prepares for a court trial with his lawyer Maryanne (Catherine Keener). But a chance encounter with fellow patient Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga) ignites a passionate love affair that threatens to derail any chance of winning over the jury as she pushes him to own the Joker persona.

With much of the same cast and crew back for Folie à Deux, the technical aspects are just as strong as before. Lawrence Sher’s cinematography is often gorgeous, especially on an IMAX screen, thanks to evocative lighting that plays with colour as well as darkness and shadow. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is just as mesmerising and chilling as her work on Joker. And at the heart of Folie à Deux is Phoenix’s impressive performance that effortlessly flits between the lost Arthur Fleck and the unpredictable Joker.

That said, the film falters with its narrative. At nearly two hours and twenty minutes long, the courtroom and asylum drama drag, and neither plot nor thematic arcs amount to anything by the end credits. Folie à Deux has a musical spin this time around, which doesn’t land as well as it thinks. Gaga naturally shines in these scenes, but compared to sequences from other musicals, the numbers here lack imagination, kinetic energy, or any sort of razzle-dazzle. Even without mentioning the depictions of gender, race, and disability that we’ll get into below, Folie à Deux is a misguided sequel that falls flat.

Gender: 2/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? NOPE

Folie à Deux’s meaning of “shared psychosis” most likely refers to Arthur and Joker, but it could also relate to Gaga’s interpretation of Harley Quinn. Known as Lee in Phillips’ film, she initially makes for an interesting addition: oozing charisma whilst a volatile darkness lurks underneath. Lee falls head-over-heels for Joker and encourages him to give in to anarchy … but that’s all we get from her. Without any hints as to her character’s personal motivations, Gaga simply appears to be here to sing some songs and advance Joker’s arc.

The only other notable female character is Maryanne, who argues in court that Arthur and Joker are two separate personalities, and that Arthur needs help. Since the film is in Arthur’s head for the entire runtime, Maryanne is solely presented as an adversary, an obstacle between him and his love, Lee. When Maryanne gets cast aside early in the film, her exit foretells the level of depth Folie à Deux is willing to go for female representation.

Race: 1/5

There isn’t much to say here, purely because there aren’t many characters of colour in the film. And just like in Joker, they only exist to either advance the plot or oppose Arthur. Sharon Washington and Zazie Beetz each return in one-off scenes as an unnamed social worker and Arthur’s previous obsession, respectively. The only other non-white character with any real dialogue is Dr. Victor Liu, played by Chinese American actor Ken Leung. Like the others, he appears in a single scene and is used as a symbol of how the system has failed Arthur. Beyond this paltry three, characters of colour are used as set dressing: cops, inmates, or jurors. In Folie à Deux, anyone who isn’t white is reduced to being an extension of a failed society or simply background noise.

Deduction for Disability: -1.00

Neither Phillips nor Silver have learned anything from their previous efforts when it comes to respectful portrayals of physical and mental disability. Gary (Leigh Gill), a little person who was the butt of an ableist joke in the last film, returns for a pivotal scene. When Gary is seated and giving a witness statement in court, the camera shows him sitting on a book to elevate his position. Another shot reveals cruel jokes written down by Joker aimed at Gary and his stature. One could argue these shots are used to call out the ableism enacted by society, but they’re presented as quick throwaways for cheap laughs—and depressingly, audience members in my theatre laughed along on both occasions.

Folie à Deux also carries forward Joker’s pessimistic views on mental health and wellbeing, arguing that society will never do right by people experiencing cognitive challenges because of institutional problems and social apathy. In this sequel, Phillips pushes that theme to new nihilistic lows, having Arthur be let down by everyone: lovers, allies, worshippers, and antagonists alike. And echoing its predecessor, Folie à Deux also suggests that people with mental health issues are violent and dangerous. The facts haven’t wavered—the majority of individuals with mental illness are not violent—but Phillips and Silver seem intent on perpetuating harmful stereotypes to mass audiences.

Mediaversity Grade: F 1.33/5

Folie à Deux doesn’t amount to anything for Arthur at the end of his journey, which seems by design. But the film doesn’t give the audience anything either. This sequel has the same issues as its predecessor, proving that, like Arthur, the filmmakers haven’t grown or changed.

Like Joker: Folie à Deux? Try these other dark superhero stories.

Grade: FLiOctober 13, 2024