SMR 514: Joker: Folie à Deux

1 Comment

1. 

   rodimusprime (Post author)

   10/04/2024 at 10:47 AM

   Good Morning,

   As someone who worked 10 plus years in community mental health agencies and currently works as administrator at a state run prison, large parts of the film are accurate/true. When I took completed history & physicals with patients, I often questioned the authenticity of the information. The filmmakers nailed that part.

   Something Rod didn’t consider in his review is your effective of antipsychotics. When taken consistently they create a good baseline for activities of daily living. They also come with side effects like tardive dyskinesia, altered gait, drooping eyes.

   Before working as a prison admin, I worked in the mental health ward. The abuse by the guards was over the top but accurate. I didn’t see any neglect but the officers did tell me how they “handled” mental health inmates in the 90s and early 2000s. When a person with mental health issues is imprisoned, it lessens the effectiveness of individual therapy. A therapist can attempt to utilize motivational interviewing but what does a woman on death row have to look forward to?

   The choreography in the film was very good. The costume designs are good. Harry Lawkey as a young brass Harvey Dent worked. Catherine Kenner as the defense attorney who’s hell bent on mounting a Greta defense works. When she asked the psychological expert if he read Arthur’s file, I went “Oohh I like her”. Too often people, including mental health professionals, will make decisions w/o considering all the information. Imagine the scene with Mr Puddles if she cross examined him. Watching it in IMAX and hearing commentary from background characters while the camera is on Arthur’s face was excellent and added the right amount of “is he really hearing that? Or…”

   There’s no way this film is a 1.5. In my opinion, Rod is too focused on the idea of IP authenticity and allows that cloud his objectivity.

   Trojan Scooter

   Log in to Reply