Mental Illness is No Joke

"The worst part of having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don't."

Today is World Mental Health Day. What does that me to you? Do you celebrate it? Ignore it? Talk about it your own experiences? Bring awareness? I am going to bet more people ignore it than bring awareness to it. That is just how our society is these days. Which is very, very sad. Not just for those who suffer from a mental illness, but also for those who do not. 

After seeing the new JOKER movie, staring Joaquin Phoenix, this past weekend I left feeling sad, confused, angry, discouraged. It is such a heartbreaking movie, all stemmed from the mental illnesses Arthur Fleck endured. It has been 5 days since I've seen this film and yet I cannot get it off my mind. Weird? Perhaps!

It is just a movie. But ya'll, I have never in my life seen a more realistic movie, about a fictional series. Which I think is why it terrified me so much. Though the time setting from this film was 1980's, I felt as if it really appealed to our society today.

Hear me out...

**SPOILER ALERTS**

I know there are many controversies around this film right now and I totally get why. There is a lot of violence, bullying, zero happiness (definitely no happy ending). If you were not a fan of the Batman series, and had no idea the type of character the Joker is, you may think "this movie is just f*cked up and stupid." Some may think the movie was too harsh, promoted violence and couldn't even finish watching it.

OR maybe you are a fan of the series and still think the movie was boring and not comparable to the Heath Ledger Joker.

And let me just touch on that comparison real quick, for those of you that are fans...this Joker that Phoenix plays is a TOTALLY different Joker than Ledger played in The Dark Knight. For most of this Joker film, Phoenix's character was Arthur Fleck. A very sad and lonely man suffering from mental illnesses and depression. It is not until the end of this film, do you see the JOKER come to life. Ledger's Joker was a seasoned criminal. He had been in acceptance of his Joker personality and been off his meds for several years, in The Dark Knight. Phoenix's character shows HOW and WHY there even is a JOKER in this series. Please remember that, if you see JOKER with Joaquin Phoenix. 

JOKER is definitely NOT for the sensitive minded people, that is for sure. There is violence, but the message is more about where the violence stemmed from. Something could have been done to prevent it.

It was unlike any other movie I have ever seen. It did not follow the traditional outline of movies. You know, the typical beginning where you see someone having a rough life, they try to get help, someone tries to save them and the people they are hurting, he finds himself and realizes he was doing wrong and ends up doing the right thing.

NO!! Not at ALL how this plays out.

There is no Batman. No one that saves the day.

Which is one of the reasons I liked the film so much. I hope that doesn't make me sound crazy! But because it wasn't the predictable story line, is why I am saying I liked it. Very interesting and did I say realistic?

Just the way it was written and portrayed as if you were literally watching a true life story of this random man, trying to find his way. Seeing him go through the day to day motions of someone with a mental illness and all of the things that continued to happen to make him hate his life. Some may think that is why it seemed boring, but I never once was bored. I was intrigued.

So you're probably wondering, why in the world would I want to go see a movie that sounds so terrifying and sad, Lissa?

Because people need to be made more aware of what mental illnesses can do to people and what they deal with daily!!!

How badly it can disrupt their life and the lives of others, if not treated in a healthy manner. How they can be bullied and not know how to defend themselves. How every mean comment, every discouraging event that happens in their life, with no guidance to help get through it, COULD eventually drive them to insanity. 

Seeing how discouraging the life of Arthur Fleck was, how meaningless he felt, as you literally watch his life unravel, could grab the attention to today's society. He was so mentally ill and did not get any true help or support from ANYONE. People may then realize what more could be done to get people like him the help they need. Or may even choose to be more friendly, like Gary was in this film. Gary was someone who was always kind to Arthur, and Arthur never forgot that. Which even lead to Arthur sparing Gary's life when he easily could have killed him. 

I am in no way defending anything this character does in this movie. He ends up doing a lot of wrong and unfortunately, people follow his actions. But I can't help but wonder if he would have received the right help he needed, would it have gone that far?

- I am even going to throw in a This Is Us reference. The latest episode shows Veteran Uncle Nicky, who is a depressed alcoholic, finally reaching out for help. Showing how he was finally getting help from someone who truly cared, was actually turning his life around, for the better. PEOPLE can change people's lives. More care and compassion, people!! Less hate! 

Yes, I know, I know...these are just fictional shows and movies! But they are not only made for entertainment. A lot can be learned if you pay attention! 

This JOKER film just hit different with me. Had more meaning than just entertainment for a fan favorite Batman series. Mainly because of the world we live in now. This stuff applies to NOW! Again, which is why the realist qualities from this film could be scary to most...BECAUSE. IT. IS. REAL. LIFE. SITUATIONS!! 

In today's society, are those suffering from mental illness seeking out the help they need and actually getting it? Are people actually listening to them, instead of just medicating them? Is that a reason why we see so many mass shootings and/or violence behavior? Do people even know if they have a mental illness? Do people bully others because they may be a little different and not understand what mental illnesses really are? Well, some people are just down right mean to others for no reason, no doubt about that. But some may not understand.

"I HOPE MY DEATH MAKES MORE CENTS THAN MY LIFE." This was a phase you saw in Arthur's journal in the film. I remember feeling so sad when I read it. To think, this is how deeply depressed he was. He felt as if his life had ZERO meaning. And didn't even really know why he felt that way. 

Just let that sink in for a minute. It is so heartbreaking! 

My hope for not only World Mental Health Day, but every day, people bring awareness, share about their experience, reach out to get help if you need it. And those who do not struggling with a mental illness, be more kind to those around you. You never know what someone is dealing with, or an illness someone may have. Help can be found and violence is not the answer!!!

"I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realize, it's a f**king comedy." - The JOKER had risen, after Arthur made this statement. Sadly, his sanity was lost. 

**All quotes above were quoted by the fictional character, Arthur Fleck, in the film JOKER.