Todd Phillips’s”Joker” is out and causing controversy. In the shadow of the 2012 shooting during a “Dark Knight Rises viewing, the film about the infamous character is creating mixed reviews.
The movie gives the backstory for Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and how he evolves into the Joker. Living an unfulfilling life as a clown-for-hire and aspiring comedian, Fleck is abused by many—both verbally and physically—and is written off due to his neurological disorder for inappropriate laughing.
Fleck lives with his mother played by Frances Conroy, and obsesses over Sophie, played by Zazie Beetz, who lives down the hall in his apartment building.