‘Nihilistic Enough’ – Quentin Tarantino Reveals Why He Enjoys Films Like Joker: Folie a Deux

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As a seasoned connoisseur of cinema with over three decades of immersion in the industry, I must admit that my perspective often differs from the mainstream. Quentin Tarantino’s praise for Joker: Folie a Deux, a film that underperformed at the box office, piqued my curiosity. Upon hearing his reasons for enjoying the sequel, I found myself intrigued and decided to give it a watch.

Contrary to the intense buzz surrounding Joker: Folie a Deux, the movie underperformed at the box office. Yet, Quentin Tarantino is one of the few who appreciated the sequel to the 2019 hit. Recently, on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, in conversation with his Pulp Fiction co-writer, Roger Avary, Tarantino shared why he admired the film.

In my fervent admiration, I can’t help but echo his sentiments about the first film. For most of its duration, it seemed to me like a single, unvaried note, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling that its narrative was merely rehashing the tales of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. However, when it comes to the sequel, I wholeheartedly agree with him – the director clearly poured his heart into it.

Tarantino highly commended the leads in the movie, Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn and Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, better known as The Joker. He stated that Phoenix’s performance surpassed his portrayal of the DC villain from the initial film. “I went to watch it anticipating to be amazed by the cinematic techniques,” he expressed.

At first, Tarantino thought the movie would be more of an intellectual challenge since it didn’t seem to function well as a regular film. However, upon watching it, he came to admire the film for its true essence. He even went on to say that he found pleasure in a movie that wasn’t quite perfect as a movie, calling it a “big, giant mess” in a way that appealed to his nihilistic side.

To his astonishment, he became fully engrossed in the movie, and the seemingly ordinary tunes enhanced the experience even more for him. An additional factor that made his movie-watching enjoyable was the fact that he found it exceptionally amusing. The creator of Pulp Fiction, surprisingly, burst out laughing at scenes where others might not find any humor.

Quentin Tarantino shared that Arthur Fleck’s performance of “If You Go Away” left him emotional. The upcoming sequel explores the consequences of the original movie’s climax where Joker murdered Murray Franklin, portrayed by Robert De Niro. While in Arkham Asylum, Joker crosses paths with Quinn, his romantic interest, played by Lady Gaga.

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2024-11-15 19:52