Joker: Folie à Deux

Joker: Folie à Deux is the inevitable sequel to Todd Phillips' hugely successful Joker, continuing the story of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix). Institutionalized in the precarious Arkham psychiatric hospital, he must deal with the consequences of his crimes, facing a highly publicized trial and the death penalty. Meanwhile, he falls in love with another mysterious Arkham patient, Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who reignites his desire to live as his true self. The film has been somewhat controversial due to its musical nature, and while many of these sequences don’t feel particularly organic, they are well shot and can even be entertaining. However, the major issue with Folie à Deux is that, despite distinguishing itself from its predecessor as a musical, its plot fails to stand on its own: everything in it lives and dies by the events of the first film, to the extent that it feels like a prolonged epilogue. There are other controversial details worth discussing and analyzing, but suffice it to say that you will enjoy it more if you were a fan of the first.