The host of Film Theory discusses their theory that the Joker movie isn't entirely real, but rather a product of Arthur Fleck's imagination due to his mental illness, specifically schizophrenia. They analyze the trailers, noting that the scenes showing Arthur as the Joker seem more fantastical and disconnected from reality. The host draws comparisons to the 1982 film "The King of Comedy," which also blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. They suggest that the movie's use of Arthur's fantasies as a way to misdirect the audience is a clever tactic, similar to those used by Marvel and DC in their trailers. The host concludes that it's possible that every time we see Arthur as the Joker, it's just a delusion in his head, and that the true nature of the movie's events is left ambiguous, leaving the audience to interpret what is real and what is imagined.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The Joker movie is an origin story about a man named Arthur Fleck.
2. Arthur Fleck is a new name for the Joker character, previously not given an official name in the main canon DC Comics.
3. The team working on "Joker" made it explicit that this story is entirely original.
4. Arthur is suffering from some form of mental illness.
5. The trailers confirm that Arthur is dealing with mental illness through his notepad writings and therapy sessions.
6. The illness seems to be hereditary, with his mother needing at-home care.
7. The symptoms displayed by Arthur, such as inappropriate emotional responses and violent outbursts, point to a diagnosis of Schizophrenia.
8. Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder characterized by a breakdown between what someone perceives as reality and what's really happening around them.
9. The movie "The King of Comedy" (1982) is cited as a key point of inspiration for the "Joker" movie.
10. Both "King of Comedy" and "Joker" feature a socially awkward and mentally ill comedian who becomes violent and kidnaps a TV host.
11. The endings of both movies blur the line between reality and fantasy, leaving the audience questioning what is real and what is just a delusion.
12. The "Joker" trailers show two very different images of Arthur as a clown, one grounded in reality and the other in fantasy.
13. The comic book industry is no stranger to misleading trailers, with DC using this tactic before to misdirect fans.
14. The "Joker" movie may be using this tactic to show straight-up fantasies from the movie, misdirecting fans about the plot.
15. Early reviews of the movie suggest that the line between reality and fantasy is blurred, leaving the audience to argue about what is real and what is imagined.