he sequel to Joker was a bit of a surprise when it was announced. When I went to watch it this week, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I couldn’t even be sure what it was going to be about. Character studies such as these will always have something to say, regardless of whether or not most audiences care.

Joker: Folie à Deux begins with a short animation in the highly influential and iconic style of Warner Brother’s Looney Tunes. Is it a coincidence that ‘looney’ happens to be a euphemism for insane? The animation begins with the title, The Joker and his Shadow. There is a representation of Phoenix’s Joker and his literal shadow trying to fight for attention of the audience they’re about to perform in front of. Once the shadow is done with its mischief, it gets into the Joker’s body and lets him suffer the consequences of its misdemeanours: in this case, being sent to the notorious Arkham Asylum, which is where the film picks up from where the prequel had left.

The viewers lean that Arthur Fleck is a numbed out version of his former self. He seems quiet and neutered, possibly due to the pills he takes or because he feels defeated. He has a lawyer who believes he suffers from a personality disorder as a result of sexual and physical abuse he suffered during his childhood at the hands of his mother. The lawyer is in the process of trying to make him understand that there is a split in his personality. Arthur seems to be compliant.

Shortly thereafter, he meets Lee Quinn, portrayed by Lady Gaga, at Arkham. She catches his attention with her eccentricity. His interest grows when she shares stories about her madness and arson. She expresses her interest, which she says is due to her being able to relate to his actions and his anger at the world. It is she who brings Arthur back to his shadow, his rage manifest: Joker. His lawyer tries to tell him that Lee is tricking him with false stories about her insanity and crimes. He confronts her and she admits to lying but insists that her motive was true love. At this point, it is clear that he is infatuated with her and he gives in. Things quickly devolve into chaos as Arthur fires his lawyer mid-proceedings and starts dressing up as Joker while defending himself in court. Lee, now out of the asylum, devotedly attends every proceeding. She was there voluntarily to begin with.

In the proceedings thereafter, a young district attorney, Harvey Dent, locks horns with Joker in what becomes a circus trial. Large crowds gather in the court and outside in support of Joker, rallying for his release. We see Arthur turn into a confident and angry version of himself in court that all agitators seem to love. He changes accents as frequently as he changes emotion.

Towards the end of the trial, Arthur, who has taken jabs at the guards at Arkham, suffers at the hands of these men when he returns to the asylum. It is implied that the abuse inflicted upon him is of a sexual nature. This and his interaction in court with former colleague, Gary Puddles, make him regress into a feeling of worthlessness. In his final statement in the court, he seems to have returned to the shrivelled state he was in at the start of the film. He accepts responsibility for the murders he is accused of and additionally admits to having killed his mother. However, before the jury’s statement can be heard, an explosion blows up the court and opens up a wall on one side.

So, what is the film about? It is about trauma and the shattering depression that comes as a consequence of it. It is about how it shapes most days of your life, if not all. There is no glory to that and it is hard to stomach for people who don’t know what that is like.

Arthur escapes with a Joker imitator and another man dressed as a clown (a homage to the Joker thugs so familiar to fans from several Batman comics). Arthur lies disoriented in the car but gets out as soon as he comes to and starts running away from the men who, we find out, are agents of an anarchic uprising and responsible for the bombing. Arthur makes his way to the famous stairs of the prequel (now iconic and featured on the film’s official poster). There, he runs into Lee and tells her that they can both leave and have a life together. She tells him that since he has given up Joker, there can be no shared future. The moment, heavily symbolic of the theme of Arthur’s life, once again leaves him in a position where his earnest love and kindness is rewarded with pain, ridicule and denial.

Stylistically, Folie à Deux stays true to its American New Wave inspired aesthetic. Courageously, it is also fashioned as a musical with stellar dance and vocal performances by both its leads, Phoenix and Gaga. In some musical numbers, Phoenix’s free and ecstatic movements may make one want to join him. These are clearly meant to be a homage to The Joker from The Batman comics, who is flamboyant, often does musical numbers and puts together big performances with flair to torture Batman. While Arthur Fleck is not ‘the’ Joker who serves as Batman’s arch nemesis, it is clear that he is the inspiration for him and responsible for a movement that will give birth to him. Phoenix does both the character and its inspiration justice while simultaneously making it his own.

The film is a mood piece. Sadly, such films are in short supply in Hollywood today and suffer similar fates at the box office as Folie á Deux. This is not due to their lack of artistic achievement but rather due to increasingly impatient audiences.

So, what is the film about? It is about trauma and the shattering depression that comes as a consequence of it. It is about how it shapes most days of one’s life, if not all. There is no glory to that and it is hard to stomach for people who don’t know what that is like. The apathy towards the film in its opening weeks therefore mirrors the society’s lack of empathy towards people with PTSD and depression. It is not coincidental, therefore, that the film has this theme at its centre and gets it remarkably right. Much like the characters surrounding Arthur, people around depressives often fail them when it matters. While agitators may delight is their rage and take advantage of it, when such people try to get better, they are shot down and abandoned. In the end, finding oneself in such a world, there is nothing one can do except laugh.

The author writes about culture, art and identity. More of his work can be found on medium.com/@uneebnasir