Pamantasan ng Cabuyao

College of Engineering
1st Semester / A.Y. 2019 – 2020

PSYCHOLOGICAL MOVIE REVIEW

PRELIM PROJECT

By
Duyogan, Paula Jean D.
5ECE – 2

Submitted to
Prof. Egaie Salazar

PSYCHO – General Psychology

15th October 2019

General Psychology 1
 Pamantasan ng Cabuyao
College of Engineering
1st Semester / A.Y. 2019 – 2020

I. MOVIE TITLE

JOKER (2019)
Joker is an American psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips in 2019, who co-wrote
Scott Silver's screenplay. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, based on characters from DC Comics. The
film follows Arthur Fleck, a struggling stand-up comic who transforms into a life of crime and chaos in Gotham
City, an origin story set in 1981. In supporting roles appear Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett
Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, and Marc Maron. Warner Bros created Joker. Productions,
DC Entertainment, Bron Studios and Village Roadshow Pictures, and Warner Bros's distribution. The film has
grossed $306.9 million worldwide and set box office records for an October release.

II. CAST AND CHARACTERS

Arthur Fleck is played by Joaquin Phoenix. Arthur is a failing comedian who looks after his wife,
Penny. As seen in the Joker film, through his day job as a clown, Arthur tries to bring joy to the lives of others,
but the teaser showed him receiving mistreatment repeatedly instead. His lack of comedy career and the
circumstances of his life lead to his turn into the Joker criminal.

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1st Semester / A.Y. 2019 – 2020

Frances Conroy plays Penny Fleck. Penny is the wife of Arthur. She is an elderly woman whose
health is deteriorating, leaving her nearly bed-ridden. Penny is also "obsessed with her former employer" and has
a hard time accepting her fate. Arthur lives with Penny to take care of her.
Murray Franklin is played by Robert De Niro. Murray is a talk show host on Gotham's late-night
TV program. He plays a role in the transformation of Arthur from a failed stand-up comic to the Joker, and in the
film shows Arthur dressed in his Joker garb on Murray's show.
Sophie Dumond is played by Zazie Beetz. Recently released information about Sophie noted that
she is a single mother living in Gotham and a person of interest to Arthur (possibly a love interest). Sophie is
battered by city life and feels like the system is stacked in her culture against her and others.
Brett Cullen plays Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne's uncle who, according to Batman lore, was
shot dead in an alleyway. Thomas will run for Gotham's mayor in Joker, but he's not famous in the city with
everyone. He's seen in the Joker film speaking out against crimes committed by people in costumes on a television
news channel, and another scene shows demonstrators mobbing him in a subway station.
Other supporting roles that is seen in the film of Joker are: Douglas Hodge plays Alfred
Pennyworth, a butler for the Wayne family; Dante Pereira-Olson plays a young Bruce Wayne. Bill Camp plays
a Gotham police officer. Shea Whigham plays a Gotham police officer.

III. SYPNOSIS/PLOT
Forever in a crowd alone, disappointed comic Arthur Fleck is finding connection as he walks
Gotham City's streets. Arthur wears two masks; the one he paints as a clown for his day job, and the one he's
preparing in a vain attempt to feel like he's part of the world around him. Society isolated, humiliated and
disregarded, Fleck continues a gradual descent into madness as he becomes the criminal mastermind known as
the Joker. Year 1981 in Gotham City, for a company called Ha-Ha's, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) works as a
clown-for-hire. Through dancing and waving a sign around, he is charged with promoting a shop. A gang of punk
teenagers grab the mark, causing Arthur to chase them into an alley. They break the sign to his head and kick him
while he's down mercilessly.
Gotham is fighting crime, homelessness, and inequality in this period. With his medicine, Arthur
sees a social worker as well as his continuing mental health problems. A little boy is staring at Arthur on the bus
ride home. He's making the boy's stupid faces, so his mother tells Arthur to leave him alone. Arthur starts laughing
hysterically, and when the mother asks him, he gives her a card stating that he has a condition that makes him
laugh the way he does. Arthur and his ailing mother, Penny (Frances Conroy) return home. They pose with host
Murray Franklin (Robert DeNiro) to enjoy a talk show. Arthur imagines that he is on the show and that he gets
the attention of Murray. Arthur attracts the viewers and Murray in his dream by convincing them he's taking care
of his mother. To Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen), Penny used to work and wrote to him to try to improve their
living situation. His co-worker Randall (Glenn Fleschler) hands Arthur a gun at Ha-Ha's after he learns about the
mugging case. Arthur is intrigued by his friend, Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz), the single mother. She talks
socially to him, but he's quiet and curious about her. He's spent his day trailing her at one point.

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1st Semester / A.Y. 2019 – 2020

He stops by his house later and wonders if he'd join her and says he'd been, but she doesn't seem
put off by it. He asks her to appear at a stand-up comedy show. For his success, Arthur goes to the comedy club.
He starts by uncontrollably laughing before heading into his routine, which is not very funny. It seems that Sophie
is in the crowd, the only person who laughs at the jokes of Arthur. Arthur sees three young forms of Wall Street
harassing a woman on the subway train ride home from Ha-Ha's in full clown getup. Arthur proceeds to chuckle
and attracts the men's attention, while the woman flees wisely from the vehicle. The men approach Arthur and
mock him and his laughter before they start to beat him. Instead Arthur takes his pistol out and shoots two of them
dead before leaving the train chasing the last man and shooting him on the steps. Arthur retreats into a toilet in
horror at what he just did. He starts dancing alone after a moment.
Two police detectives, Burke (Shea Wigham) and Garrity (Bill Camp), go to Arthur's house and
quiz him on the killings of the subway because of the phrase the perpetrator is wearing clown make-up, and they
learn that Arthur lost his job earlier that day. Arthur denies any involvement and leaves the detectives. Penny falls
ill shortly afterwards and is hospitalized. Sophie is seated by Arthur's side as he turns towards his wife. Arthur
learns in the hospital that Murray's show is playing a scene of his stand-up act, but he's saddened to see that
Murray was just doing it to taunt Arthur. At a public event, Arthur meets Thomas and attempts to threaten him
about his father's abilities. Arthur names Jenny, remembered by Thomas as well. He claims she was delusional
and Arthur couldn't be his father in any way. Arthur continues to laugh in the face of Thomas until Thomas
punctures Arthur's and kicks the man out of the house.
Arthur eventually gets a telephone call from a Murray series delegate. He is invited to appear as a
guest that is accepted by Arthur. Arthur is going to Arkham Asylum in search of hard evidence and is speaking
to a clerk, Carl (Brian Tyree Henry), who has a Penny record. As Carl says that he is unable to give Arthur the
details he needs, Arthur pops the folder and runs away to read it. The truth is that after being found lost, Penny
adopted Arthur and manipulated him. Another part of the document describes Arthur's head injury, most likely
causing him to laugh. Arthur goes back to the hospital and tells Penny that he thought his life was a disaster, but
he discovers that it is a "fucking comedy" He's smothering Penny to death with that. Arthur starts to get ready on
Murray's show for his presence. Randall and another co-worker, named Gary (Leigh Gill), visit him in his
apartment. Upon learning about the death of Penny, they offer condolences, but then discuss Burke and Garrity
returning to their homes to ask them about the murders of the subway. Then Arthur violently stabs Randall to
death, but he lets a terrified Gary go back as he was the only one at Ha-Ha to be good to him. Then Arthur colors
his hair green, puts on a complete clown make-up, and dons a Bourgogne suit. Arthur greets Murray and his
partner Gene (Marc Maron) at the television station. Until he moves on, Arthur tells Murray to introduce him as
"The Joker," because when watching his video, Murray referred to him as such. Arthur goes out at the beginning
of the show. He asks Murray a joke unpleasantly before referring to the killings of the metro. Murray and the
crowd slowly realize that it is serious for Arthur. Arthur claims that only the victims were taken care of by the
public as Thomas Wayne spoke for them, but anyone like Arthur would be dismissed or stepped over. Murray
and the crowd are becoming more upset with Arthur, but he is doing so. Upon learning about what Arthur did,
Gotham is now surrounded by rioting people dressed as clowns. The Waynes are fleeing a movie theater in the
streets to discover the mess.

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Thomas leaves an alley with Martha (Carrie Louise Putrello) and Bruce, but one clown approaches
them and assures Thomas that he gets what he deserves. He kills Thomas and Martha dead against Bruce with
that. In the meantime, Arthur has been arrested and taken by officers, but clowns are rushing into the car in an
ambulance and Arthur is being released. The rioters then cheer on Arthur as he's leaning on a car and expressing
their gratitude, now that he's received the respect he's long wanted. Sometime later, Arthur is locked up in Arkham.
He meets a new social worker (April Grace) and says he wants to tell her a joke, but she wouldn't get it. A few
minutes later, Arthur then steps out of the room, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind before he is chased
around by orderlies.

IV. PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT/S INVOLVED IN THE FILM

Arthur is slightly underweight, sunken and pallid in his face; and while he is not repulsive, his
untidy, strange look is off-putting to others. Behaviorally, Arthur is also different. He's distant and anti-social,
but he doesn't seem callous or devious necessarily. In fact, Arthur, especially children, is somewhat innocent and
initially well-meaning towards others. Arthur is a victim of interactional socialization; his peculiarities cause
others to ostracize, threaten, and ignore him, which in turn leads him to withdraw, grow weirder, and eventually
lose opportunities to improve his social skills. He is generally aware of being peculiar, but does not yet understand
the degree to which some consider him awkward. Quite the same, by becoming a good stand-up comic, Arthur
hopes of winning the respect of others. He insists that his purpose in life is to instill pleasure in others— his
overactive dreams show his mother as his number one support: "You have been put on this earth to bring joy and
laughter," he imagines her saying adorably to him.
In watching the movie Joker, this reflects on the main character's personality as it crumbles
gradually under society's pressure and thus, Joaquin Phoenix does a wonderful performance. The characterization
of Phoenix's character as a depressed young man losing his grip on life (mental health problems, childhood
tragedy, loss of comedy career, loneliness) contributed to the film's association with the so-called "incel" society
(involuntarily celibate angry and misogynistic men). One of the aspect that I have seen in the film is Joker’s
psychological disorder, the disorder called Involuntary Mental Expression Disorder (IEED) is a true
neurological disease marked by emotional lability and involuntary laughter. This vocal syndrome is characterized
by uncontrollable, rapid and prolonged laughing outbreaks (or tears for some patients) that are excessive or
incompatible with the underlying mood. These episodes can be long-lasting and are often embarrassing and
socially debilitating for people struggling to communicate their real, experienced emotion, Pseudobulbar effect
(PBA) is a syndrome marked by frequent uncontrollable bouts of laughter and crying unacceptable. Usually,
pseudobulbar symptoms occur in people with certain neurological conditions and accidents that may influence
how the brain regulates emotion and Paradoxical laughing is an excessive form of amusement that is not
explained by external events. It may be uncontrollable laughing that the person concerned might consider as
unacceptable. It is synonymous with disturbed states of mind and mental illness, such as mania, hypomania, and
depression, and may have other causes.

General Psychology 5
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College of Engineering
1st Semester / A.Y. 2019 – 2020

In this movie, I have seen that psychological aspects of Arthur Fleck being “The Joker” has its
roots to its heredity to its mother “Penny”, who is claimed to be delusional in the film. As to being curious where
Arthur got his disorder might come from numerous traumatic events that I have seen in the movie wherein
numerous infliction of pain has occurred. I also sympathized on the scene where Arthurs begs for some decency,
work or a father in the form of Thomas Wayne and shows the Father Deficit which Arthur character seeks is one
of the problem that came that build up his alter ego as a joker.
In this film, I have also seen that how Arthur Fleck bump his head deliberately on numerous scene
which can be also the reason on his distorted emotions because it can cause brain injuries. Leg shaking can also
be a symptom of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - people with ADHD are especially likely
to shake their leg or perform other repetitive motions while concentrating hard. When his alter-ego has snapped
him by killing the men in the train is a sign of fulfillment of his desire.
As I was watching the movie I have learned that in the Theory of Sigmund Freud’s Structural
Model, A person has driving forces Id, Ego, and Superego wherein one must fulfill the other and constraints set
by the society are applied. I have seen that in the movie Arthur has been trying to suppress want he wants to do
focusing on the Superego which states the morality of a person as the plot increases and he has given the chance
to let out his anger the driving force of Superego has been buried and Id surpasses while the Ego is trying to
balance situation by seeking help in the form of the hospital medication, Sophie and Thomas Wayne where all of
them turned down Arthur. This led to Arthur snap out of sanity and “find the place where he belongs” which is
people believing in him that if Gotham City needs to be a peaceful one must fight the killings with the same
degree. Thus, “The joker” find killing people who he taught has disrupted the society justifiable and making the
Gotham a better place to live.
These Jokers certainly presented with their own idiosyncratic problems, but were able to find
ways to achieve feelings of pleasure. Arthur Fleck attempts to find joy through his stand-up comedy, but cannot
overcome the barriers of his disease. He is instead met with doubts, derision and even dismissive reactions from
his own mother, who casually tells him, “You have to actually be funny to be a comedian.” Phoenix’s Joker
directly deals with mental illness. He gives us, in his story, clear evidence that he has biomarkers of a brain
disorder. "Protectors" for mental health are the cultural, economic and personal factors that help us to handle
significant changes in our lives, drive through stress and psychological distress, and even protect us from mental
illness. For example, Arthur's mother is a protective factor for him as she is the source of a loving bond and a life
purpose. Arthur buys her grocery stores, prepares her food, and bathes her every night — and he's really looking
after her. But after knowing that even his own mother lied to him this start the “tryouts” of Arthurs in conniving
violence such as the outward display of rage that seems harmless at first. Novel aggression, or experimenting
with new forms of violence, may act as an early warning sign of potential, more serious and dangerous forms of
action for people who may pose a safety threat to society.
Hearing that he was adopted created major assumptions that he had no true identity in this world,
no identifiable source apart from alienation and violence. According to relational suicide theories, successful
suicides are closely linked to two things: 1) a strong desire to die, and 2) the urge to kill oneself.

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1st Semester / A.Y. 2019 – 2020

Typically the impulse to die is synonymous with denied association. Many of us had this
experience in our life at least once. Nonetheless, the second step applies to a level that few of us are crossing.
That level prevents us from taking serious action on self-harm feelings. His traumas form the Joker, possessed
by the lack of empathy, and abandoned by a system that fails. It is certainly irresponsible and dangerous to use
our sympathy for him, and it makes us feel our own fragility, vulnerabilities and shortcomings. The Joker
partnership is now more provocative than ever before. And the fact is, it's impossible that each of us can absorb
enough human compassion at the personal level to keep everyone around us from harm— but we're similarly
guilty of ignoring each other's appeals to be noticed.

V. COMMENTS
The “Joker" is no joke. As I have seen the movie and as my favorite DC Comic villain Joaquin Pheonix iterates
a new and disturbing portrayal of the Joker that was not focus on how insane his pleasure in killing people or how
he would satisfy himself on putting the City of Gotham to his own version of peace and justice. It just focus on
the psychological contributors on how Arthur Fleck, a person who believes himself as an icon of laughter,
becomes the icon of insanity and how people believes and praise him for that. I am not really that comfortable in
seeing Joker as a melodramatic and theatrical insanity persona as I have seen because I really sees him as a insane,
intelligent and megalomaniac being who drives his counterpart insane and which the viewers would not have
guessed what he would be doing next. It is quite disturbing because we all know mass killing and out of the blue
killings are present nowadays and it makes the film sympathized its viewers to the point view of the person who
have done the killings and makes them wonder what kind of society carved them for who they are. If the society
has been more considerate and people would not treat each other as they would die the next day if they sympathize
on other people maybe the villain Joker would not be born. It’s the primary key of the story which joker said
numerous times in the film “Why nobody listens to him?”.
In my assessment in the film, I think it is better to add the prequel of the life of Arthur Fleck to know the roots of
the trauma his been through and his real parents. It was also shown how the internal screams of pain converts into
crackling of laughter because of its medical condition. Some people might not be able to withstand the depression
and condition of Arthur but he uses this to empower himself and find where he belongs. I do not want to
romanticize the idea of poverty and lack of consideration of the government in Gotham because the idea of how
Arthur wants only to live with his mother because it is a serious problem that even in reality occurs. How people
with special needs wants them to act as if they don’t have any. The film is already disturbing as it since it
incorporates a new “Joker" that is new taste to its viewers.

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College of Engineering
1st Semester / A.Y. 2019 – 2020

Duyogan, Paula Jean D. October 14, 2019

5ECE-2 PSYCHO
FINAL PROJECT NO.2
My Journey in Psychology

5ECE-2 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY SY 2019-2020

Over the course of this class, I've put together a lot of things about my own life that went unnoticed
before. I can see things in a different light now. Given that I was not that exposed to the mental field, I understand
some of the explanations for actions around me. I have found that there is an explanation for most of everything
and that psychology can explain many of our actions and mental processes. Studies have been conducted for many
years trying to identify the root of our behavior, and most people don't think about it every day.

At my first day in General Psychology the first thing that comes to my mind is I hope I won’t get
sleepy in the subject because it tackles how human behave or the psychology of man and human which is hard to
assess and different theories are present to explain the human behavior. When Prof. Salazar enters the classroom,
his demeanor is already intimidating the students in the class including me. But as the class progress I would
conclude to myself that he is indeed an approachable teacher and I would acquire different knowledge from the
first day of class forward. Even though I was in my 5th year in Engineering and tons of thesis, revisions and
projects are needed to achieve and get done on the “so-called major subjects" of the course I never sees GenPsy
or any other subject as a “minor" subject which can be taken for granted in the expense of doing other
paperwork’s. I have seen it as a breath of fresh air wherein I can focus on something that is I have never know
and it is a pace where we can enjoy the subject without mathematical and Pythagorean theorems involve. I have
learned many things in this subject which is I think it makes me more understanding on the reasons of people
around me and how Prof. Egaie helps me to fight stress by giving us jokes and cracks that will make us laugh.

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1st Semester / A.Y. 2019 – 2020

It is indeed a breath of fresh air. I have learn to accept different things in my life through the help
of this subject such as in the Ego Defense mechanism, Rationalization and intellectualization are included which
means it is in the habit of people to make reasons on what and why they have done and as an individual it is one
of the core concepts in living. Core topic including human social behavior (let's compile some statistics),
personality, psychological disorders and treatments (which undoubtedly involves numbers), learning, memory
(can you remember the numbers?), human development, biological influences, and research methods (by this read
“gathering and analyzing research and problem identification"). Some of the things that I have learned in GenPsy
is valuable in which I can apply in my routine in my daily life.

If I had to explain someone else's psychology who didn't know the subject. I'd say there's a lot
more to this subject than most people think it is. At first I thought mostly that psychology was just something
about the mind. Psychology is about really day-to-day life. That certain parts of the brain do specific things.
Another part of your brain is another part of your brain is going to be for your memory and so on for your motor
skill. People in psychology will study disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and develop a program that
can help people with problems to reduce their pain or have gone away.

The most important thing people should know about psychiatry is that without therapy there will
certainly not be many of the therapies we have in today's society. It wouldn't exist because people who are
psychologists helped create today's therapies and other interventions that aim to help people with all kinds of
problems. They wouldn't have understood why some people act the way they do without psychology as well.
They would also not be able to identify how the brain works and what happens when damage occurs to one part
of the brain. This education shapes my career and my life after school by understanding that neuroscience affects
the culture of today to a great extent without many realizing how much it doses. Thank you very much for this
interesting yet challenging semester and I hope this subject will be of use to us in present and in the future.

General Psychology 9