Joker is a psychological thriller about a troubled stand-up comedian, played by Joaquin Phoenix, who becomes increasingly unhinged.
Classification Issues
- Violence
- Scenes of strong violence include stabbings and shootings, with accompanying bloody injury detail.
- Language
- There is strong language ('f**k') throughout, as well as milder terms such as 'prick', 'asshole' and 'shit'.
- Additional issues
- The film deals with issues of mental illness in a manner some viewers might find upsetting. Other issues include occasional sex references and some briefly glimpsed images of models posing naked.
Classification history
The film is based on the character from DC Comics, this is a dark and sombre telling of a supervillain origin story that sees Arthur Fleck, a professional clown with a condition that means he bursts out into uncontrollable laughter at inopportune moments, spiralling out of control in 1980s Gotham City.
A trailer for the film was submitted by Warner Brothers in March 2019, with a 12A request. Compliance Officers noted that: “There is an unsettling and dark tone throughout, and there are certain shots which would be uncomfortable at the 12A category.” They cited a scene in which Fleck smashes his head into a mirror and another in which he is hit by a car. Compliance Managers also viewed the trailer and agreed that it would be better placed at 15. A cuts list was written for Warners and the trailer was resubmitted in an abbreviated form and granted the requested 12A.
A further trailer, submitted in May 2019, also came to the BBFC with a 12A request. This was a shorter version, but contained the same scene with Fleck headbutting the mirror and was awarded a 15 rating. Other, similar trailers were also passed at 15.
The completed film was submitted for an advice viewing and was seen on 1 July 2019 by the BBFC's Chief Executive and the Head of Compliance in the screening room at Warner Brothers' London base. The film appeared to be complete.
The viewing notes stated that the film was permissible at the requested 15, with the main issue being some strong and occasionally bloody violence. The strongest scene is that in which Fleck stabs a man with a pair of scissors and then bashes his head repeatedly against a wall, causing significant blood spray and the release of some brain matter. Other violence includes some men shot with bloody impact detail and a chat show host executed at close range, with blood and brain matter sprayed up the wall behind him. The scenes are strong and shocking, but do not last long and there is no focus on the victims' injuries afterwards. At the time, the BBFC’s Classification Guidelines at 15 stated that “Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury.”
The film also features strong language, around 25 clear uses of the term 'f**k' and some bleeped uses in news reports. These are acceptable at 15.
The team also noted several scenes in which Fleck thumbs through notebooks, including while performing on stage. The books contain images of naked women, presumably cut from pornographic magazines and pasted in amongst his jottings. The images are not seen in close-up and are only very fleetingly on screen.
The film was submitted for formal classification on 24 September and rated 15 for strong bloody violence and language.
