“The People’s Joker” (2022) is a unique, coming-of-self, autofiction biography that ranks as one of the best (unauthorized) DC Comics films. If you thought “I Saw the TV Glow” (2024) was too depressing or abstract then star, director and cowriter Vera Drew’s feature debut is for you. Breaking the fourth wall, Joker the Harlequin (Drew) narrates her life story to inform her audience how she ended up as the next host of a Saturday Night Live-esque show called UCB Live. UCB does not stand for the Upright Citizens Brigade, but the United Clown Bureau, the only legally authorized training ground for wannabe comedien(nes), who get divided into the binary of Jokers (male) or Harlequins (female and sexualized). In a world where comedy and drag are illegal, and being queer is frowned upon, Joker the Harlequin explains how she became herself.
Starting as a Midwestern kid with the assigned gender of male at birth and a highly reactive, emotionally immature mother (Lynn Downey), Young Joker (Griffin Kramer), is subject to an experimental drug called Smilex to stifle her natural emotions which the medical establishment deems as deviant. Upon becoming an adult, she rushes to Gotham to become a Joker at UCB, but without talent or money, our protagonist looks for alternatives. Joker the Harlequin is born after becoming fast friends with The Penguin (Nathan Faustyn), a grounded, accepting funny man, establishing an underground stand-up anti-comedy (legal loophole) club and falling in love with Mr. J (Kane Distler), who resembles Jared Leto, a red flag for those familiar with the star.
If there is a film friendship award, then it must go to The Penguin, who is so wholesome and sweet. Best Penguin ever! Sorry, Burgess Meredith. He recognizes his friend’s genius, admonishes without condemnation and never lies to her. When Joker the Harlequin takes her first tentative steps as a transwoman, The Penguin is completely as unfazed as someone who is saying that a day in the week ends in y. It makes no difference to him and is easily adjusted. He reassures Joker the Harlequin that her differences are normal and constantly encourages her to embrace her experiences and the truth in her art. He is the perfect blueprint to being an ideal, accepting friend without having to try hard in stark contrast with the mother, who is always on the verge of catastrophizing or playing a role. Besides the prescribed drug, it is easy to see where Joker the Harlequin got her frozen, pained smile.
With a style reminiscent of the videos that played during the late eighties through the nineties New York City’s Club Kid dance era, Drew’s artistry of radical acceptance makes “The People’s Joker” into a landmark film, which proves that slick production values and rigid control are unnecessary to make a masterpiece. Drew crowdsourced production to over a hundred artists who provided animation, puppetry and the setting of every scene in the film. The innovation did not stop post-production. Despite numerous obstacles, Drew rolled with the blows by using a media conglomerate’s written legal missives as a brilliant marketing jumping off point, accepting the withdrawal of support from actors who feared reprisals, and recasting an actor who is facing allegations of sexual assault. Drew has proven herself to be a cinematic transubstantiator of the highest caliber.
The only obstacle to enjoying “The People’s Joker” is ignorance of the DC Comics universe. Though not required, it helps if you have seen the “Batman” TV series (1966-1968), “Superman” (1978), “Batman” (1989), including Prince’s song “Party Man,” “Batman Returns” (1992), “Batman Forever” (1995), “Batman & Robin” (1997), “Catwoman” (2004), “The Dark Knight” (2008), “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012), “Suicide Squad” (2016), “Joker” (2019), and “Birds of Prey” (2020). Drew draws various elements from these movies to tell her life story and dips into characters which have been largely ignored such as Killer Croc and Mx. Mxyzptlk. Instead of conversion therapy, Arkham Asylum becomes the medical provider that experiments on children and almost drives them to madness. It is an incisive way of condemning a practice without being a Debbie Downer and becomes a key part of this rendition of the Joker’s rebellion.
“The People’s Joker” is at its best when Joker the Harlequin is in the spotlight, but lags a bit whenever attention shifts to others, specifically during the romance portion, although that section is germane to the entire narrative and reveals some interesting Batman backstory. Drake is hilarious, and many will literally laugh out loud instead of theoretically, especially starting at the point when Joker the Harlequin’s dances on the steps to the villain team-up showdown against Batman. In a world of memorable Jokers (Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill, Heath Ledger), Drew holds her own and is better than Leto and Joaquin Phoenix. With Margot Robbie as the definitive Harley Quinn, Lady Gaga has her work cut out for her since she must also compete with Drew once Joker the Harlequin embraces her gender and sexuality, which subtlety pays homage to Michelle Pfeiffer’s transformation from Selina Kyle to Catwoman.
As if “The People’s Joker” is not already a treasure and possibly one of the best movies of the year, it also features an amazing soundtrack: Mimi Zima’s “Back of the Truck,” “Party Woman,” among so many other songs. It is arguably a musical. The movie is a guaranteed good time, but it also addresses a variety of issues in a trenchant manner from psychological abuse, grooming, monopolies, surveillance state, extrajudicial executions. Without feeling like a running public service announcement about transpeople, Drew treats transitioning gender casually as a part of daily life as it should be. The film also critiques comedy, which includes self-deprecating humor. Drew rages against the hypocrisy of commercial comedy and the monopoly on ways to conventional success. It uses fictional characters like Lex Luthor and Batman to illustrate how humor is exploited to rehabilitate and promote problematic real-life figures such as Presidon’t or Sarah Palin. The movie skewers PC culture by playing it straight, respectfully, which makes it more irreverent. Both Penguin and the protagonist often admit that being edgy is sometimes just offensive and not funny.
With trans filmmakers like Drew and Jane Schoenbrun gaining traction and garnering praise, hopefully it is the dawning of a golden era of trans cinema. If it is, then what may characterize these types of films? They are colorful with a particular shade of purple dominating the palette. There is an unashamed embrace of popular culture, even the trashiest elements like tabloid talk shows, which is often the first place that transpeople consumed images of their first transperson as referenced in “Framing Agnes” (2022). Through television, queer filmmakers share a common media language which was the only safe liminal space in a hostile world. “The People’s Joker” uses the color bar test as an omnipresent, understated aspect of many scenes. These films showcase a complex, surreal narrative structure without being confusing because it is the best way to convey complex, emotional truths.
Don’t wait for “The People’s Joker” to stream from home. If it appears in a theater near you, go! If you are near Cambridge’s Brattle Theater, it will be playing there from June 7th through 9th. Stay through the credits, which hint at a horror themed sequel.