Joker

Set in a grim, decaying version of 1980s Gotham, Joker follows Arthur Fleck, a struggling party clown who dreams of making people laugh on stage while coping with worsening mental health and a fragile personal life. He lives with his ailing mother and scrapes by amid cuts to social services and daily humiliation. Small humiliations and personal losses pile up, and the film watches how public indifference and private pain start to shift Arthur's behavior. Rather than spelling everything out, the story lingers on atmosphere and character detail, showing how a loner with a desperate need to be seen begins to respond to cruelty in increasingly disturbing ways, and how a city ripe with anger can transform a single person's acts into something larger.

Joker became a blockbuster, earning over $1 billion worldwide against a modest production budget near $55 million. Its financial success made it one of the most profitable adult-oriented comic book films, drawing strong box office returns at home and abroad.

The film received significant awards recognition, with Joaquin Phoenix winning the Academy Award for Best Actor and Hildur Guðnadóttir winning for Best Original Score. It also earned multiple other Oscar nominations, reflecting attention to its performances, score, and craft.

Joker left a notable cultural mark, sparking debates about the depiction of violence and the responsibilities of filmmakers. Phoenix's performance and the film's unsettling clown imagery entered public conversation and social media, and the movie prompted broader discussions about mental health, alienation, and how media representations can resonate beyond the screen.

Critics were divided over the film's tone and political implications, but many singled out Phoenix's intense, transformative acting for praise. Major themes include social abandonment, class tension, the fragility of mental health, and the spectacle of media attention. Audiences responded strongly as well, giving it an average rating around 8.13/10 from 27,123 votes, which reflects the film's polarizing but powerful impact.