Kshitiz Sudhakar

In my view, Joker: Folie à Deux paints a deeply tragic portrait of Arthur’s search for love and validation only to find that he never truly received it from anyone he longed for. Throughout his life, whether it was from his mother or his failed attempts at stand-up comedy, Arthur’s desire for affection and appreciation went unmet. His mother’s betrayal, particularly, hits hard as the one person he thought loved him turns out to have lied and contributed to his trauma. Ironically, when Arthur does receive the love and attention he craved, it’s not as himself but as his alter ego, Joker. As Arthur, he’s invisible, rejected, and mocked, but as Joker, the anarchic figure who embodies chaos, he becomes admired and feared. This duality is at the heart of the film’s tragedy—Arthur’s real self was never loved, but the dangerous, unhinged version of him that rejects societal norms is celebrated. The film ultimately highlights how a lack of basic love and recognition can push someone to embrace a darker version of themselves, one that the world may find disturbingly more captivating than their true, vulnerable self. It’s a haunting commentary on society’s fascination with chaos and the lengths people will go to when they’re denied validation.