Is Joker a "dangerous" movie? Joaquin Phoenix and Director Todd Phillips Respond to Critics

Warner Bros. released a statement Tuesday responding to the ongoing debate over the "danger" potential of his film Joker, recently highlighted in a letter sent to the studio by the families of victims of the 2012 mass shootings at the screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, who fears the film will cause similar violence. In the statement – which you can read in full below – Warners acknowledges that art is designed to "provoke difficult discussions on complex issues," but he insists that Joker does not aim to glorify the character . IGN spoke to actor Joaquin Phoenix and director Todd Phillips last week, who defended their film in response to the controversy.
You can watch their answers in the video above or read their quotes in the original article below.

This is Warner Bros. & # 39; Full statement on the letter from the Aurora families: "Armed violence in our society is a crucial issue and we express our deepest sympathy to all the victims and families affected by these tragedies. Our society has long donated to victims of violence, including Aurora. In recent weeks, our parent company has partnered with other business leaders to call on policy makers to enact bipartite legislation to combat this epidemic. At the same time, Warner Bros. think that one of the functions of narration is to provoke difficult conversations about complex problems. Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker nor the film is an endorsement of violence in the real world. It is not the intention of the film, filmmakers or studio to make this character a hero. "

Our original article follows.

Now that Joker is available in less than two weeks, critics and the fan community are already discussing the so-called "dangers" of the film and the representation of the main character, whether they have seen the film or not. The conversation postulates that, as a film about a deranged man whose mental collapse leads to deadly violence, he might be unwittingly portraying the Joker as a heroic or inspirational figure. At the L.A. press conference last week, I was fortunate to get director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix. (You can follow their thoughts in the video above and continue reading for more context.)

An online look at the headlines of critics who have seen the original story film gives an idea of ​​the points illustrated in these conversations. From Refinery29: "Joker is a dangerous film – and it brings out the worst on the Internet." From Time: "Joker wants to be a film about the void of our culture. Instead, it's a first – and dangerous – example Vanity Fair suggested that Joker, whom they considered "a deeply troubling story of origin," could be an "irresponsible propaganda for the men she pathologizes". They continue: "Is Joker festive or horrified? Or is there simply no difference, as there was none in "Natural Born Killers"? or in a myriad of other movies' America, man & # 39; on the liberating attractiveness of depravity? "IndieWire called Joker" a bold but friendly original story. "Is it really time to take such behavior for granted?" Asked a New Republic writer who admits he did not see the movie.

I had a very different reading of the film, which I gave 10 out of 10.

As I wrote in our review: "Joker, the film may ask viewers to be compassionate to its central protagonist, but it does not ask us to forgive its increasingly perverse choices. While many parallels and inspirations of the real world can be disturbed by Arthur's descent into violent madness, the film always knows that he is disturbed and that he should not be romanced – simply understood. "

Watch the rave reviews of Joker below:

A search on Twitter of "Joker dangerous movie" generates a multitude of tweets describing the film as "dangerous" or expressing fear that it may inspire more violence in an age of indiscriminate cyclical mass fire by national terrorists. In their scathing critique of the film, Time shares this feeling: "It's not as if we did not know how this pathology worked: in America, a mass shot or an attempted violence by a guy like Arthur [Fleck] almost every two weeks. And yet, we are supposed to feel sympathy for Arthur, the troubled lamb. "

(We have already looked at similar implications, given ongoing efforts to falsely establish links between violence in video games and violence in the real world.)

It is in light of this wave of lingering criticism and fears about the Joker movie that I asked director Todd Phillips and actor Joaquin Phoenix to address these concerns at the press conference of the film. Los Angeles last week.

"I really think that there have been a lot of reflections written by people who proudly declare that they have not even seen the film and that they have not seen it." need, "said Phillips. "I would just say that you might want to watch the movie, you might want to watch it with an open mind."

Phillips went on to clarify what the film Joker ultimately says and why the fears aroused by the film are, from his point of view, unfounded. "The film makes statements about the lack of love, the trauma of childhood, the lack of compassion in the world. I think people can handle this message, "said Phillips.

He also criticized those who make judgments on behalf of others. "It's so weird when I'm told," Oh, well, I could handle it. But imagine if you can not do it. "It's a judgment for others and I do not even want to talk about movies in the past, they've already said that because it's shocking and embarrassing when you go, oh my God, do it." good thing they said that about [that movie, too]. "

For Phillips, concerns go to the heart of what he sees as the complexity of art that addresses difficult topics. "For me, art can be complicated and often, the art is supposed to be complicated," he said. "If you want a simple art, you can get into calligraphy, but filmmaking will always be a complicated art.

Joaquin Phoenix had a similar point of view to Phillips: "Well, I think for most of us, you are able to tell the difference between right and wrong. And those who are not able to interpret anything in the way that they may want. People misinterpret the lyrics of the songs. They misinterpret passages of books. So, I do not think it's incumbent on a filmmaker to teach the public the morality or difference between good and bad. I mean, for me, I think it's obvious. "

Phoenix then developed the idea of ​​what could "push" someone towards an act of violence. "I think if anyone at this level of emotional disturbance, he can find gasoline anywhere." I just do not think you can work that way, "he said.

"The truth is that you do not know what will feed anyone. And that could very well be your question. It could be that moment, right? But you can not function in life by saying, "Well, I can not ask this question for the low risk that someone is affected by [it]. I would not ask you to do that, he said.

"It's uncomfortable. It's uncomfortable for all of us. I think we are all aware of these problems and we are worried, and I think that is why we are talking about it. I do not think we can be afraid to talk about it. I understand why you asked that question. But I think that in the same way that you feel you have to ask that question and engage the conversation that way, I think that's what I feel as an actor. And that is all I have to say.

The discord around Joker – both in the debate over the quality of the film and its debatable societal implications – is ongoing and will probably not end at the film's release in October. But it's a debate born of the time in which we live.

The art provokes answers and the complex art causes complex answers. Although I do not believe that Joker glorifies this obviously troubled – and fictional – individual, the online conversation about Todd Phillips' film certainly highlights the fascinating and endless ways in which people can interpret the same work of art. It also reflects the power of Joker's punchy story and Joaquin Phoenix's captivating and disturbing performance to inspire such passionate and varied reactions.

[Correction: We initially claimed our interview was conducted before Phoenix walked out of another interview when asked a similar question. It appears the Telegraph’s interview was conducted before our interview happened. We regret the error.]