Joker is about how outside influences shape and drive us. What are these outside influences? Our friendships, family, romantic life, support systems, work, where we live, media, entertainment, politics, and the overall zeitgeist. The more stable each of these things are, the more stable we are. But what happens if these influences turn bad? Not just one or two, but all of them?

Upon its release in 2019, despite the awards and acclaim, many thought Joker vapid. But Arthur Fleck’s story is an exploration of the tipping point in all of us. A mere 14 months after Joker’s release, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 6 U.S. Capitol Attack occurred, surprisingly mirroring much of the film’s diagnosis of what drives people to insurrection and pandemonium.

Read our full explanation here.

Written by Chris Lambert