Joker: Folie à Deux Page #5

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An example should be made out of him.

[indistinct radio chatter]

[siren whooping]

[laughing tensely]

[Arthur] ♪ When you’re smiling ♪

[crowd clamoring]

♪ When you’re smiling ♪

♪ The whole world Smiles with you ♪

♪ When you’re laughing ♪

♪ Oh, when you’re laughing ♪

♪ The sun comes Shining through ♪

♪ But when you’re crying ♪

♪ You bring out the rain ♪

♪ So stop your sighing ♪

♪ Be happy again ♪

♪ Keep on smiling ♪

♪ ‘Cause when you’re smiling ♪

♪ The whole world smiles ♪

♪ With you ♪

Coming in.

[guard] Okay. Showtime.

[swirling, excited chatter]

Shh! Shh! There he is.

[laughter]

[man on TV] Arthur Fleck…

Hey, shut the f*** up.

[man continues, indistinct on television]

Arthur.

[bearded guard] Milligan.

[Milligan] Arthur.

[bearded guard] I’ll split your head open.

[crowd cheering]

[cameras clicking]

[cheering continues]

[Bullock] Yeah, Arthur.

[laughter, whistling]

[Bullock] He’s looking good.

[bailiff] All rise.

This court is now in session.

The Honorable Judge Herman Rothwax is presiding.

[door opens]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Please be seated.

William, please invite the jury in.

[door opens]

[judge] Are you all right, Mr. Fleck?

Everything okay?

Yes, Your Majesty. I’m just looking for someone.

[feedback squeals]

[laughter]

Please, Mr. Fleck, sit down.

I realize there’s a lot going on.

But this is still a court of law.

Any and all outbursts will not be tolerated.

And that applies to everyone in this courtroom.

Sidney, please call the case.

The People of the State of New York

versus Arthur Fleck.

Case number GC071963.

[Lee] ♪ Everything that Happens in life ♪

♪ Can happen in a show ♪

♪ You can make ’em laugh ♪

♪ You can make ’em cry ♪

♪ Anything ♪

♪ Anything can go ♪

♪ The clown With his pants falling down ♪

♪ Or the dance That’s the dream of romance ♪

♪ Or the scene Where the villain is mean ♪

♪ That’s entertainment ♪

♪ The lights On the lady in tights ♪

♪ Or the bride With the guy on the side ♪

♪ Or the ball Where she gives it her all ♪

It’s my view that there is absolutely no evidence

that Arthur Fleck suffers from multiple personality disorder.

Or that he ever behaved in the role of “Joker,”

as a separate personality dissociated from himself.

[Dent] Doctor, in your opinion,

concerning the work you did on this case,

do you believe Mr. Fleck suffers from a mental disease or defect?

[doctor] No. In my opinion,

he’s not psychotic or unable to test reality.

I think he was sane when he committed these crimes.

In fact, I believe he fakes his mental illness.

[people murmuring]

[judge] Quiet.

[gavel rapping]

And… if he’s, uh…

…faking it, as you say,

then what is your opinion

on the defendant’s mental condition?

I believe he has four relatively minor

and quite common mental disorders

that involve long-standing sadness,

narcissistic self-centeredness, friendlessness,

an indifference to the feelings of others.

This is a very disturbed individual.

But I can’t give you any kind of psychiatric defense for him.

Thank you, Doctor Liu.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

[judge] Your witness, Ms. Stewart.

Thank you.

Doctor Liu, good morning.

[doctor] Morning.

How long did you interview Arthur Fleck for?

About two hours.

About two hours.

It was actually 89 minutes.

Tell me, how can you say for certain,

that Arthur isn’t mentally ill?

How can you be so sure after just 89 minutes,

that this “Joker”

isn’t a distinctly separate and split personality from him?

That that’s not who he is.

Well, I also reviewed all the test results.

Psychological tests, neurological and medical tests.

And in my view, it’s just a performance.

[crowd murmurs]

[Ms. Stewart] Did you read the records

from the Department of Social Services…

…that show that when Arthur was seven years old,

they returned him to his abuser’s home?

His mother’s home.

[pen scratching]

[doctor] I did, yes.

[Ms. Stewart] And when you interviewed him for 89 minutes,

did you ask him why Social Services

didn’t believe the horrific stories

a seven-year-old boy told them

about the physical and sexual abuse he suffered?

[faint, echoing laughter]

No, I… I didn’t ask him about that.

[Ms. Stewart] Hmm.

So you want us to believe,

that after spending just 89 minutes with Arthur Fleck,

and reading through his records and tests

from the same government agencies that abandoned him,

you want us to believe

that you can say with absolute certainty

that Arthur doesn’t suffer from any serious mental illness?

That he didn’t need to retreat into fantasy

and create another identity

to protect that scared, vulnerable, seven-year-old boy

from all the trauma and abuse he suffered?

And that that identity didn’t come out again,

when he was attacked and tormented

by three drunk bullies on the subway?

[three loud, echoing gunshots]

[gun clicking]

“After I woke up this morning,

I thought, ‘Murray, Murray, Murray.’

And then there’s Murray.

Funny, right?

Then I remember Sophie.

I had anoth…”

Objection. Your Honor…

Again, my client’s personal diary is privileged.

[judge] Overruled.

Again, as long as Mrs. Kane limits her comments

to Mr. Fleck’s journals…

But these are my own personal private jokes.

They weren’t meant to be read out loud.

Mr. Fleck. Quiet!

[gavel bangs]

[faint feedback squeal]

[judge] These are your words she’s reading.

And it’s up to the jury

to determine what to make of them.

Please proceed.

Ms. Kane, please continue reading

from the, uh… the highlighted portion.

“Then I remember Sophie.

Had another dream about her. Forgot it.

I almost never dream.

What do I gotta do to remember?”

[Dent] That’s Sophie Dumond, Mr. Fleck’s neighbor,

whom he was obsessed with.

What was that date?

November 17.

Let the record show,

November 17th is the day that Mr. Fleck

stabbed Randall Kleinmanhoffer to death.

The very same day that he shot and killed Murray Franklin.

Now, I know it’s not your area of expertise,

but you have read all of

Mr. Fleck’s journal before, correct?

[Mrs. Kane] Yes, I have.

And in your opinion,

does this sound like a different voice?

Like a different, uh… personality wrote this?

No, it sounds like Arthur.

[Dent] Go on.

He often wrote about his fantasies.

And… the… women he had imaginary relationships with.

And of course, his jokes.

There were always a lot of… these…

these unfunny jokes.

[crowd laughing]

[gavel banging]

[Ms. Stewart] She’s just a social worker.

I don’t think she’s even qualified…

You know, you’re making him out to be a f***ing idiot in there.

[reporters clamoring]

He’s never gonna get out if you keep this sh*t up.

Ask her why she has me sitting so far away from him.

Let’s not do this here. Please?

Do you see all those people out front?

Who do you think they’re here for?

How many T-shirts is Arthur Fleck on?

How many signs?

It’s the Trial of the Century

and she doesn’t even know who her own client is.

What do you mean by that?

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