Todd Phillips’in Joker Filmine Jungcu ve Nietzscheci bir Yaklaşım

Year 2021, Volume: 31 Issue: 1, 423 - 444, 23.06.2021

Cenk Tan

Abstract

Todd Phillips’in Joker (2019) filmi sadece psikolojik bir dram sunmakla kalmamaktadır, ayrıntılı bir karakter vakasını gözler önüne sermektedir. Joker filminde psikolojik ve sosyal olmak üzere iki temel katman bulunmaktadır. Psikolojik katman bağlamında izleyiciler, ruhsal anlamda hasta bir bireyin yavaşça kötü bir katile dönüşmesine tanıklık etmektedir. Bu makale, Todd Phillips’in Joker yapımını Jungcu ve Nietzscheci bakış açısıyla analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Arthur’un ruhsal durumunu Jung’un arketipleri penceresinden yorumlayan bu çalışma, onun kendi içinde bulunan gölge arketipine karşı vermiş olduğu yoğun mücadeleyi açığa çıkarmaktadır ki Arthur bu mücadeleyi kaybetmeye mahkumdur. Arthur’un gölge figürünün persona, ego ve kendiliğini kullanarak tüm bu saldırılara karşı direnme çabası tamamıyla nafiledir. Bu bağlamda, Jung’a ait kavramlar, Friedrich Nietzsche’nin nihilizm ve nihilist kuruntular kavramları ile karşılaştırmalı olarak irdelenmektedir. Buna ek olarak, nihilist kuruntular olgusu, psikiyatri alanında tanımlanan cotard sendromu ve kişiliğini kaybetme gibi olgularla ilişkilendirilmektedir. Çalışma, ayrıca Nietzsche ve Jung’un hayatlarının belirli dönemlerinde yaşadıkları etkileşimleri ve ortak yönlerini de açığa çıkarmaktadır. Bunlara bağlı olarak çalışmanın sonucunda Joker filminde nihilist kuruntuların, gölge figürünün egemenliğine giden yoldaki temel sebep olduğu sonucuna varılmaktadır.

Keywords

Joker, Carl G. Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche, gölge, arketipler, nihilist kuruntular

A Jungian & Nietzschean Approach to Todd Phillips’ Joker

Abstract

Todd Phillips’ Joker (2019) is an origin story which not only portrays a psychological drama but also forms a good example of a detailed character study case. The film embodies two main layers which are psychological and social. Within the context of the psychological layer, the viewers witness the gradual metamorphosis of a mentally-ill person into an evil villain. This article aims to analyse Todd Phillips’ Joker from a Jungian and Nietzschean perspective. By interpreting Arthur Fleck’s mental condition through the window of Jungian archetypes, the article reveals that Arthur experiences an intense inner struggle against his shadow, which he ultimately loses. His efforts to resist these attacks using his persona, ego, and self are in vain. To that end, Jung’s views are interconnected with Friedrich Nietzsche’s notion of nihilistic delusions which are referred to with an overview of Nietzsche’s nihilism. In addition, the nihilistic delusions are associated with the cotard syndrome and the notion of depersonalization within the field of psychiatry. The study also exposes the common ground between Nietzsche and Jung by exploring the interactions in specific periods of their lives. Thus, it has been concluded that Arthur’s nihilistic delusions are the ultimate cause of the events leading to the supremacy of the shadow in Joker.

Keywords

Joker, Carl G. Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche, the shadow, archetypes

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