The recently released trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux has rocked the internet—not only for its glimpse at the sinister and perverted world of Gotham City but also for its controversial content warning.
YouTube has given the ‘JOKER 2’ trailer a warning label that warns viewers that the trailer “may contain suicide or self-harm topics.” PIC.TWITTER.COM/DT3VG5WVWX
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) APRIL 10, 2024
Folie à Deux is a French term for a delusional disorder shared by two or more people, and it picks up where Joker, the 2019 picture, ends. Phoenix, again performing Arthur Fleck, completely embraces his villainous Joker persona in this reimagining. This time, he meets Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn within the frightening confines of the infamous Arkham Asylum.
The trailer, on the other hand, is a two-minute track record of horrors. The most controversial of them is a moment when Harley Quinn imitates suicide, shooting a finger gun to her head. The line “I’m nobody. I haven’t done anything with my life as you did” was enough to trigger the viewer discretion warning on YouTube, claiming the trailer “may contain suicide or self-harm topics.”
YouTube Community Guidelines have strict policies regarding content depicting self—injury. The platform can present a warning message before playing and offer support resources, such as a suicide prevention hotline. It is worth noticing that YouTube removed the warning at a later date, commenting that it was “an error in the applications.”
And yet, the discussion continues. Was it appropriate to include a self-harm warning before the trailer? According to some critics, the answer is yes, a choice motivated by a warning that the scene shown in the video might have a detrimental effect on the impressionable part of the audience. Meanwhile, others believe that the scene is one of many equally important to examine and understand Harley Quinn’s nature or the set of complex themes embraced by the movie.
Meanwhile, what makes “Folie à Deux” even more curious is that it is nothing like any comic book movie ever made. Phillips defined it as a “jukebox musical,” which means most of the songs audiences would recognize are subtly reimagined.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is bound to be a stunning movie due to the darkness of its themes, the musical triumph of its performance, and the cast’s brilliance. It will be available on October 4, 2024. However, the discourse over the quality and content of the film will not cease until then.
