Factual error: Based on the films being shown at the theater, the movie appears to be set in 1981. One of the TV commercials shows the Energizer Bunny, which didn't make its first appearance until 1988.
Joker (2019)
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Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joaquin Phoenix, Frances Conroy, Zazie Beetz
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Arthur Fleck: My mother always tells me to smile and put on a happy face. She told me I had a purpose: to bring laughter and joy to the world.
Trivia: While the time period of the movie isn't explicitly stated, the movies showing at the cinema the Waynes are at (Zorro The Gay Blade, Wolfen, Excalibur, and Arthur) were all released in 1981, making that the likely year it's set. The Zorro reference is certainly a nod to established comic continuity, where the Waynes were watching The Mark Of Zorro.
Question: Spoiler! The scene at the very end, with Arthur locked up talking to the doctor/social worker - is that meant to be later, after he's been captured again, or is it a flashback to when he was hospitalised before, as was referenced earlier in the movie?
Answer: This is later, as the building appears to be Arkham. He's committed there instead of going to jail based on his insanity. It appears he is laughing about the death of Thomas Wayne, we see a flash of that scene again for a reason.
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