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Despite its attempt at compounding the complexity of Arthur Fleck, watching Joker: Folie à Deux is a slog, sighs Deepa Gahlot.
The tributaries flowing out of the DC Universe keep the various franchises flowing, as origin stories emerge, characters crisscross and the sequels, prequels never end.
In 2019's Joker, Todd Phillps told the tragic origin story of the manic villain who appears in Batman's Gotham City.
Arthur Fleck aka Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) never recovered from his traumatic childhood and killed his tormentors, including television show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) on national television.
With that perverse tendency to make heroes out of deviants, Joker, with his clown-painted face, inspires a rush of violence in Gotham that leads to the deaths of Bruce Wayne's parents. Wayne goes on to become the crime-fighting Batman.
The film had wrapped up the story satisfactorily, there was nothing really left for the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, except maybe the entry of two more DC characters, Harley Quinn and Harvey Dent aka Two Face. Or maybe a comment on the transient nature of ‘influencer’ fame (though the film is set in the 1980s), and redemption for Joker, who never wanted the chaos he inadvertently set off in a city already seething with discontent.
Joker: Folie à Deux opens with an animated musical number that shows Arthur Fleck losing a fight against his literal shadow, that puts on the red suit and clown make-up to impersonate Arthur, so that he is blamed for the trail of violence the shadow committed.
Is Arthur really a split personality or is the Joker just a coping mechanism for him, as is his unprovoked hysterical laughter?
The terrifyingly cadaverous Arthur is in the hellish Arkham State prison, awaiting trial, while experts decide whether his insanity plea is valid, or whether he is fit to stand trial.
His sympathetic lawyer and a social worker sent to meet him are faced with a recalcitrant Arthur, who looks broken and defeated.
Then, Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga) makes an appearance, and suddenly he has a reason to live.
The film treats their romance with fantasy musical numbers, which, after a point, just hold up the proceedings -- as if they were stuffed just to pad up the running time because the plot started fizzling out.
But like the rest of his followers -- seen in brief glimpses -- Lee is in love with Joker.
The sad, guilt-ridden Arthur does not fit into her 'build a mountain' fantasy.
Eventually, Arthur's 'Trial of the Century' begins, with Harvey Dent as the prosecutor amidst mob and media frenzy.
Arthur fires his lawyer and defends himself, turning the trial into a circus, over the judge's furious gavel banging.
In the process, he also destroys the Joker myth, but the film ends with an opening for another sequel if required.
Despite its attempt at compounding the complexity of Arthur Fleck, and several nods to past auteurs (Martin Scorsese, Vincente Minnelli, and of course, Charlie Chaplin), watching Joker: Folie à Deux is a slog.
The first film was a critical and commercial triumph, with several Oscar nominations and awards. This one just burdens Joaquin Phoenix with the task of manipulating the audience's emotions as the clown, who should be making people laugh, but scares and repels them instead.
Lady Gaga was brought in for her singing prowess but she delivers a decent performance too, as the disturbed woman, who is a fame-junkie.
