Joker Director Todd Phillips Says The Film’s Depictions Of Violence Are 'Very Responsible'

Joker might be enjoying rave reviews from critics, however, despite the acclaim and the Best Picture award from the Venice International Film Festival, the gritty character study has also been suffering from a whole lot of controversy.

There's been a whole lot of concern that the film could incite violence from those with the same personality and demeanor as Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck. Not only have the families of victims of the Aurora Dark Knight Rises shooting written to Warner Brothers to express their concern, but the New York Police Department has also confirmed its intention to patrol screenings of Joker on the film's opening weekend to help prevent any sort of violence that might occur.

Joker director Todd Phillips has spoken about the controversy before, blaming the difficulty of creating comedies on the existence of "woke culture." Now, the director has more to say about the concern over the film's violence.

Phillips addressed the controversy after the screening of the film at the 57th New York Film Festival (via Variety) saying that it may be a good thing for Joker to address the "real-world implications on violence."

"Isn't that a good thing to take away the cartoon element of violence that we've become so immune to? So I was a little surprised when it turns into that direction, that it seems irresponsible because to me it seems actually very responsible to make it feel real and make it that weight."

There are many differing opinions on the matter, though we believe that audiences can be trusted to understand that the film is meant to sympathize with Arthur Fleck, not to glorify him or his violence.

Joker premieres tomorrow, October 4, 2019.

Read: Joker Actor Joaquin Phoenix's Supposed Meltdown Outtake Was a Fake