With ‘Joker‘ winning two Golden Globes, it means the cast and crew are going to be back in the spotlight for their work on the film. The latest surprise this award has given us is this extremely surprising “one overarching theme” for the movie from director Todd Phillips. Honestly, this is one I would not have expected when you’re watching Joaquin Phoenix‘s Arthur Fleck slowly decline into the persona of the Clown Prince of Crime.
So what is this shocking theme that you would likely least expect?
In the director’s commentary from the home release of the film, Phillips revealed:
“If I had to drill down on one overarching theme for me, it’s about the power of kindness and a lot of people miss that. I think if you don’t see that you either don’t have a soul or you’re being reductive to make up for your own struggles in that area. But, really, to me, that’s where it started from, and there are other things in the movie like lack of love, the lack of empathy in society, and childhood trauma, but the power of kindness really runs through this film.”
This makes sense. While Fleck wasn’t on the receiving end of any kind acts, if he had been, we would never have seen him evolve into the criminal that he is destined to become.
Do you agree with Todd Phillips’ point of view that ‘Joker’ is a movie about kindness or the lack thereof? Would Arthur Fleck have had a different life if more kindness had been shown to him? Was Arthur actually the Joker as we know him from the comics at all, or just a man suffering from delusions that he had become Batman’s greatest nemesis at all? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: Cinema Blend
