I deeply hope that this movie doesn’t demonize mental illness. They seem to be going the mental illness route, and honestly comic-book characters don’t have a good track record of being tastefully depicted as mentally ill. ~Sincerely, a mentally ill anon
Yes, judging by several things in the Joker movie trailer, mental illness seems like it will play a big role in the movie. We see Arkham will be present in the movie, and that Arthur visits a therapist and possibly takes medications. Later on in the movie, it is believed that Arthur will become the Joker, hence the title of the film.
The setting of the movie does not seem to help much. Putting the historical context of the movie in mind (early 1980s), much less was known about several mental illnesses than today, much less how to treat them.
Personally, as a person who has had some treatment for my own mental issues before (I have been to therapy before and taken medications), and continue to deal with them, I too hope that the movie does not try to make it seem like Arthur became the Joker *just because* he had depression or anxiety, or whatever mental illness he may have in the movie.
I don’t want people to see the Joker movie and then turn to somebody they know who is depressed or anti-social and be like, “That’s you. That’s how you’ll turn out.”
People who are mentally ill never want to be mentally ill, and most of the time don’t intend to hurt people. Honestly, almost every person I’ve ever met who has had a mental illness treats people the way they want to be treated: respectfully. We just want to be treated normally, and to be accepted and loved. People may say we’re shy or weird, but most of the time it’s because we’ve been hurt before, and don’t want it to happen again.
Also, another thing related to the movie and mental illnesses: how the movie will portray a mentally ill man.
When you see a movie or a TV show or read a book about mental illnesses, most of the characters who are mentally ill are female. Of course, people of all ages, races, ethnicities, genders, orientations, and so on suffer from mental illnesses.
But the rates at which men suffer from mental illnesses is on the rise. Men are more likely to successfully commit suicide than women, and to not get help for their problems because of the pre-existing stereotypes and stigmas in society toward people who are mentally ill.
If you are a male and mentally ill, you’re often branded as a potential “shooter” or a weirdo. It’s true that many men resort to violence, and that many of these men are mentally ill. Honestly, a rated R movie about the Joker is going to have violence. And no, I’m not trying to justify or condone the atrocities these people commit.
It’s just that we as a society should not group mentally ill men together into one small category. If you’re a guy and you try to get help, a lot of times, people will say you’re a “pussy” or not a “real man”, or even a “liability”. Some doctors won’t even take you seriously because “guys aren’t supposed to suffer from _________”. People just tell you to “think positive” or to get a hobby or to suffer in silence.
We almost never hear about men who have depression, or an eating disorder, or who have panic attacks or so on. And there is guys like that out there. But they are mostly invisible.
And I’m saying that as a person who’s not even male, but as a human being. It’s a problem that needs to be talked about, and a conversation that needs to be had. And I believe that the way mental illnesses should be discussed in Joker should be treated carefully.
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