In the past decade or so, when comic book movie productions have completely saturated the entertainment market, heroes and villains are a cultural staple. In these films, viewers are always following the perspective of the heroes, and their journeys of triumph. Joker, however, follows the story of the infamous eponymous Batman villain. Even though the film has garnered critical acclaim aimed at Joaquin Phoenix’s stellar interpretation of the demented character, and even won the Golden Lion award in the Venice Film Festival, it has collected twice as much controversy. The media feel as if the film focusing on a character canonically known to be a psychopathic killer could inspire real-life violence. 

Whitney Young students have shared their thoughts on the hysteria surrounding the film. Gabriel, ‘20, said; “I think, in a way, the media is hoping for something bad to happen that is related to the film even in a slight aspect, because we haven’t seen any negative vents occur because of the fim, yet we see so many reports on this sort of invisible threat the movie signifies”. Others were a bit more concerned with the parent’s responsibility” factor such as Isabelle,‘21; “I don’t necessarily think a violent act will take place because of the movie, but parents should take care of what they want to show their kids, too, especially if they’re worried about what entertainment the kids consume.. Others such as Roger, ‘17 had much more simple views; “it’s a movie, who cares?” Whether or not the movie has the power to inspire real-life tragedies, the light it has pointed at themes such as mental illness and class divide has sparked up interesting conversation and observations on social dynamics, especially in times like these when said themes have an extreme relevancy. Joker is directed by Todd Phillips and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, and Robert DeNiro.