When Arthur Fleck begins to laugh uncontrollably on a crowded Gotham City bus, it’s easy to understand why people recoil at the awkwardness of this moment. I’m talking, of course, about the new Joker movie, which depicts Arthur’s disintegration from would-be stand-up comic and clown into the villain we’ve met in the Batman story. We come to know that Arthur’s loud and misplaced laughter is a symptom of his mental illness. He even has a beat-up business card he can hand to onlookers with that explanation. It doesn’t really help. No one understands. We probably wouldn’t, either. What if … [Read more...] about Sitting Next to Arthur Fleck