The recently released movie ‘Joker’ has been getting rave reviews from all over the globe. Joker centers around the most notorious Batman villain – before he became a villain. It takes us into the world of Arthur Fleck and paints the picture of why he is the way he is.
Todd Phillip’s exploration of this with Arthur Fleck (played masterfully by Joaquin Phoenix) paints an uncomfortable picture for audiences across two rather difficult hours of cinematic perfection. What makes the movie special is the fact that it talks about all the issues that people are usually not comfortable speaking about; like politics, violence, bullying and most importantly, mental health.
Today, when everything seems to be moving at a rapid pace, it’s surprising that we have no time to even talk about serious issues that affect the human mind. Social media is taking over and has started making us so dependent on itself that people don’t like to have one to one conversations anymore. Everyone is in a race to prove a point, to establish superiority and to get approval & appreciation from people they don’t even know. Instead of healthy discussions, encouragement and brotherhood, there’s anxiety, loneliness and fear of missing out. Sadly, likes, shares, and emojis have become more important than empathy, friendship and emotions.
Plenty of research indicates that how you use social media platforms plays a key
role in the effect it will have on your well-being. For example, one study found that users having more negative interactions online are likely to report higher levels of depressive symptoms. This indicates that the type of content we choose to post and interact with online influences our mental health. In fact, research suggests that both a bad mood & good mood may spread between users on social media.
In order to curb this kind of drastic negative influence, lately, most giant social media platforms have started curating their content & revising their rules & regulations.
The Joker, while an incredible film, paints the analogy in an exaggerated manner of a conversation that needs to be had. It speaks about how mental illness in itself is such a complicated issue that can drive an individual to the breaking point. You don’t know the battles that someone else is facing, and society shouldn’t make it worse for them with bullying or teasing.
Yes, at some point, the film does become uncomfortable to watch, but you have to admit that such things do happen in real life. There needs to be a conversation around such kind of issues that not only affect your body but also affect your soul.
Because you may love such kind of movies or hate them, but one thing is a given;
MENTAL HEALTH IS NO LAUGHING MATTER.