As one of the most talked-about movies of last year, not to mention one of the highest-grossing, Todd Phillips’ Joker still remains a topic of debate and speculation. And now, one popular theory is gaining momentum again with another detail that sharp-eyed fans have just discovered.
Many believe that the majority of the events that take place in the movie aren’t actually real and most of the grotesque things that Arthur experiences or inflicts on other people get imbued with his hallucinations. This is especially debatable if you pay attention to the film’s final scene, where Arthur converses with a doctor in a mental institution and proceeds to kill her. This calls back to a previous scene when he talks about being locked in an institution that looks alarmingly similar to the one we see at the end of the movie.
While some fans believe that this theory undermines the importance of the message that Joker is trying to convey, others can actually see how or why Arthur would be making things up in his twisted mind. But whether you’re against or for this popular theory, a new piece of evidence will make you reconsider your assumptions.
As one user on Reddit has pointed out, every clock in the entire film reads 11:11, which could imply that everything you see on-screen is actually happening inside Arthur’s head.
“In “Joker” (2019), as Arthur tells his social worker about when he was locked up in a hospital, there’s a quick cut to Arthur wearing what looks like a straight jacket and he’s banging his head against a window. The clock in both his cell and in the social worker’s office are the same time.”
Of course, this is unlikely to be a slip-up from the production team and set designers. Though it could also be a simple Easter egg for fans to discover.
Either way, everyone’s free to interpret the movie in their own way. If you’re obliged to see Phoenix’s journey as one big dream sequence, then this small detail can lend legitimacy to your assumptions. And if not, it could literally mean anything, so we wouldn’t think too much about it.
