‘Everything Must Go’: Joker as a Banner for Postmodernism

Valdir da Silva Bezerra; Justin Rathbun

doi:10.5195/cinej.2025.654

‘Everything Must Go’: Joker as a Banner for Postmodernism

Authors

Valdir da Silva Bezerra University of Sao Paulo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6488-478X
Justin Rathbun Northern Vermont University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2025.654

Keywords:

Joker, postmodernism, French philosophy, American history, cinema

Abstract

Joker, the commercially successful comic book movie that broke all records (Forbes, 2019), is set to release a sequel on October 4, 2024. Its profitability speaks to its popularity and unique ability to resonate with a broad audience, including the academic community. In a fictional Gotham, where Arthur Fleck works as a clown, Joker demonstrates the slow descent into madness of a man neglected by society. Arthur’s mental condition, his social awkwardness, and his ineptitude in dealing with many problems in his personal life placed him on the outskirts of society, physically and emotionally. This article argues that, as depicted in the film, Arthur's journey aligns with the postmodernist philosophy developed by the French thinkers Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida.

Author Biography

Justin Rathbun, Northern Vermont University

Master’s in International Relations by Saint Petersburg State University (Russia), Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences by Lyndon State College (Vermont / United States), Admissions Counselor at Northern Vermont University

References

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Published

2025-12-03

How to Cite

Bezerra, V. da S., & Rathbun, J. (2025). ‘Everything Must Go’: Joker as a Banner for Postmodernism. CINEJ Cinema Journal, 13(2), 221–244. https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2025.654

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Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2025): Fall

Section

Articles

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