Joker: Folie à Deux dares to have the courage to be disliked

Film review

Prior to its world premiere in Venice, the festival’s artistic director, Alberto Barbera described Joker: Folie à Deux as “one of the most daring, brave, and creative films in recent American cinema.” He wasn’t bluffing OR joking for that matter. His statement couldn’t be more true. But whether that translates into being a good thing will depend on your relationship with the former film and what you demand from cinema. 

Following its world premiere, it received a poor reception amongst critics and festival attendees. It’s more than likely that this mood will be carried by mass audiences too. Joker: Folie à Deux does not deliver you the second coming of the former film, or even an enhancement of what’s been delivered before. Instead, it strays away from what’s expected from a sequel of one of the most successful and highly praised films amongst critics and audiences alike in recent years. Folie à Deux does its own thing, daring to have the courage to be disliked. 

If you thought you might be embarking on a great adventure with the Joker and Harley Quinn tearing up the town with their madness, you’d be left disappointed. Joker: Folie à Deux is set within the confines of being a prison and a courtroom drama. However, you’re released from these spaces with the occasional musical number that lightens up the grim environment of Gotham as it descends into imaginative dream-like sequences. Lady Gaga isn’t Harley Quinn but instead, a character called Lee Quinzel (you understand the reference), an inmate who sets her eyes on Arthur and sees his weaknesses as an opportunity. 

Casting your minds back to 2019 imagining how director Todd Phillips would continue Arthur’s journey, a musical probably wasn’t on the cards. Although a sequel wasn’t necessarily warranted, Phillips uses the genre to further explore the psyche of Arthur Fleck. And it just happens to be one of the strongest aspects of the film. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and the songs won’t carry themselves onto any musical soundtrack compilation albums, but they entice you into observing what makes Folie à Deux truly unique. 

Outside of the musical numbers and dream sequences, being thrust back into the reality of the happenings in Gotham falls quite flat. Without them, Folie à Deux would be quite dull. Waiting to find out if Arthur manages to avoid the electric chair for his crimes isn’t quite intriguing or engaging enough to pull you deep into the plot. Gaga’s character doesn’t manage to spark any thrills. Although showing promise in her dangerous and manipulative behaviour, Lee never reaches her full potential to cause desperately needed chaos. Arthur doesn’t even steal the show in this. There are no stars that shine in this highly anticipated sequel. However, Folie à Deux still manages to shine brighter than its predecessor, albeit for some it would be for all the wrong reasons. 

In 2020, gaming developer Naughty Dog released the long-awaited sequel to The Last of Us, one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved games of all time, so much so that HBO adapted it into a series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey with the creator of Chernobyl (2019) on board. The stakes were high for part two. Gamers were eager to go on another journey with protagonists Ellie and Joel, fighting for survival through a zombie apocalypse. However, the director and writer of the first game Neil Druckmann diverted from what may have been anticipated by fans and instead took some risky creative decisions that would lead to an uproar amongst gamers. 

Todd Phillips replicates what Druckmann did but in the cinematic forum, resisting the temptation to create a follow-up based on the expectations of fans and instead deliver a work that feels necessary for the character's journey even if it may be unpopular amongst consumers. Druckmann’s risk paid off and delivered a masterpiece in storytelling, becoming the superior work of the franchise albeit if that opinion is in the minority. Folie à Deux manages to become the superior work of its former due to its creative risks but fails to capture the brilliance and mastery that The Last Of Us Part II managed to pay off. 

Turning the sequel into a prison-courtroom-drama-musical was risky enough. However, Phillips exercises his boldness to new heights in the film's final act, which is the most intriguing part of the story and will leave you with your mouth hanging open by the time the credits roll. The final act is also where the film's themes fully blossom, proving itself to be much more intellectual than anything conveyed in the first instalment. 

Are the bold creative decisions and themes Folie à Deux’s only strengths? Pretty much. Unlike Joker, its sequel won’t dominate the awards season. I’d be surprised if it featured at all. However, despite its faults, what you are left with is an extremely interesting film. And that's something all we can really ask for as a minimum from cinema that's worth something.