The People's Joker (2022)

April 20, 2024 2:28 PM

An aspiring clown grappling with her gender identity combats a fascistic caped crusader.

This is almost impossible to describe accurately. It's a story about developing trans identity, falling in love, toxic relationships, supervillains, comedy, and... well, a lot more. Live action, animation, miniatures, stop motion, and a Cameo are used to tell a story that starts off seeming like a stunt but becomes much deeper, funnier, and emotional.

Trailer
Film Website

posted by GenjiandProust (4 comments total)

So I went to this because I knew I would be angry with myself if I didn't, but, as I was leaving, I realized that I was really glad that I went. It's full of joke, dumb and not, that land and not, some that are offensive, most that are not. It's an honestly amazing reconstruction of the Batman universe in a way that I haven't seen before. DC and its various owners have been notoriously hot and cold on allowing it to be screened, so, if you have a showing you can get to, this might be your chance. The screenings are listed on the film's website.

The performance I attended was introduced by a clown performance, which... made me slightly worried, but turned out to make sense in retrospect. No idea what might happen at your screening.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:35 PM on April 20 [3 favorites]

I also just saw this last night, and while I wouldn't say it's, like, a "great film," but I was also glad I went and thoroughly entertained. It leans into the limitations of its budget, reveling in janky animation and lo-fi FX. The project is incredibly ambitious, and I'm so glad it is out there. Really, we need a lot more of people doing crazy, ambitious, weird, even somewhat rickety works like this.
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:51 AM on April 21 [1 favorite]

I would say “every dollar of the budget is on screen.”
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:44 PM on April 21 [2 favorites]

This was really fun! I really want Penguin’s ACAB Batman t-shirt!
posted by rodlymight at 5:51 AM on May 1 [1 favorite]