Scene Snapshot: Joker.

Welcome to this new series called Scene Snapshot!

We’re looking at the scene of Arthur Fleck aka Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix, going down the elevator with a psychiatric patient at Arkham Asylum. This part has always stood out and stuck with me. We see Arthur standing in the front of the elevator. Looking at his face, we can see that he’s clearly uncomfortable. His eyes are closed, his fists are balled up, and his jaw is clenched. He’s acting like nothing is there, basically. This scene is very fortuitous. Arthur is moments away from discovering life changing news about his mother. The result of this news, is him giving in to his insanity. He’s already stressed and depressed at this point, so who’s to say that Arthur and the mental patient are not one and the same here?

The workers here look, for lack of a better term, annoyed. The officer has a judgmental smirk on his face, as if it's all in a day’s work for him. He’s desensitized, like the asylum worker. This scene has always shown me that mental illness comes in all forms. Some people are able to function and hold down a steady job *cough, cough* Arthur, while others just aren’t able to. What do you guys think? Send me a message and let's have a conversation!