Joker Movie Review

đź“ŚCategory: Entertainment, Movies
đź“ŚWords: 655
đź“ŚPages: 3
đź“ŚPublished: 25 June 2021

A lot of us watched the DC production film ‘Joker.’ The film was great as it depicts a mentally unstable man who was failed by the system and left to fend for himself. The film gets some things right like how the mental health system works and how if people who are mentally ill are left untreated, their health deteriorates. But what can we diagnose the character Joker with, and how accurate is the film on mental health? 

Watching Joker go on, his mental health comes into question since the purpose of the film was to give an origin story to why Joker became the murderous, cold-blooded man he is today. Schizophrenia, a mental illness that affects a person’s ability to think, behave or feel clearly, it is also accompanied by delusion and a lack of motivation to be productive. But Joker does not fit this description of schizophrenia, he is motivated by his dream of being a comedian, he is also quite manipulative, and he does not express any sign of being delusional so, he cannot be diagnosed with schizophrenia. 

Bipolar disorder is a disorder that according to DSM-5, it is associated with episodes of mood swings of depressive low to manic highs making people who suffer from the disorder impulsive. Joker is not impulsive, and, in the film, he expresses excellent self-control and only acting when others are not watching and when he just did not care anymore, a sign of proper awareness. So, we cannot diagnose him with bipolar disorder since he does not fall into the DSM-5 criteria. 

An antisocial personality disorder is a disorder whereby the diagnosed has little to no regard for other people. The joker indeed shows a disregard for others even his mum which he strangled to death, but we lack enough information to know when the onset of his disorder started since according to the DSM-5 criteria, the individual must have had symptoms before the age of 15 so it is inconclusive to say he has an antisocial personality disorder. 

We cannot label Joker a psychopath either since a psychopath is not necessarily sick, but they are just people with a distinct set of ideals from societal norms, Joker is described and seen as sick. Psychopaths are charming and manipulative Joker is far from charming, he makes people uncomfortable. 

All through the film, we are left in the dark about what Joker’s mental illness is and after careful observation of his behaviour, he cannot even be labelled a psychopath. Joker is a film that shows how much information on mental illness our society lacks. When a mass murder is committed, we immediately assume the perpetrator is mentally ill whilst ignoring the fact that mentally ill individuals are more likely to be victims than the other way around. After watching Joker, most people come to conclude that his mental health is to blame for him finally going on a shooting spree because he could not hold it in anymore, which is far from the truth. The Joker cannot be diagnosed because there is nothing to diagnose in the first place except with, pseudobulbar affect, a disorder that makes him laugh and cry uncontrollably and this could be a sign of a brain injury but still, that does not explain his behaviour and his acts of violence. 

The film tries to justify unjustifiable actions by trying to shift sympathy from the victims to the perpetrator. The film pushes for the belief that mental disorders lead to gun violence a stigma our society struggles with. Myths like this create misinformation and fear about the mentally ill which also increases the stigma our society already faces. But there is one thing Joker gets right, and that is, mental health care should not be left unfunded, people need mental help and ignoring them is not the right call.  

In conclusion, the film tried to justify and bring meaning to the Joker’s actions but failed to consider how his behaviour cannot be truly diagnosed without following any of the DSM-5 criteria on what makes up a disorder before it can be correctly diagnosed and labelled appropriately. Calling him a psychopath is simplifying his actions and using mental illness without proper criterion is also simplifying his actions.

+
x
Remember! This is just a sample.

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers

Order now
By clicking “Receive Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails.