Well, at least Hideo Kojima agrees with Quentin Tarantino: “Joker: Folie à Deux” just might be considered the film of the year…in a decade or two.
The “Death Stranding” video game creator Kojima praised Todd Phillips’ critically panned box-office disaster sequel on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that in the next 10 to 20 years, “Joker: Folie à Deux” could be considered a classic film.
“Over the next 10 or 20 years, this film’s reputation will likely change along with the permeation of hero movies to come. It may take some time for it to become a true ‘folie à deux,’” Kojima wrote. “But there is no doubt that everyone in the audience loved Joaquin and Gaga in this film.”
Kojima’s full statement is as follows:
“I watched ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ The beginning of the film is an animation sequence, reminiscent of the nostalgic ‘Looney Tunes,’ depicting a story of Joker and Joker’s shadow. In the trial that follows, the question of his multiple personality is argued from beginning to end. Is the Joker Arthur? Is the Joker another personality (his shadow)? Who exactly is Arthur? This revelation eventually transforms into a meta-perspective. In the previous film, ‘Joker,’ was it really Joker who captivated audiences around the world? Or was it Arthur? This question is constantly raised to Lee and even to the people of Gotham City within the film.”
He continues, “We live in an age of mass production of ‘poetic justice’ heroes, a battle between good and evil. Lately, many spinoff films with a focus on the villains have been made. Can villains be superheroes too? Is this question posed on the big screen as a DC movie too avant-garde? Was it the Joker that audiences around the world loved? Was it Arthur? This is where the reviews have diverged. Over the next 10 or 20 years, this film’s reputation will likely change along with the permeation of hero movies to come. It may take some time for it to become a true ‘folie à deux.’ But there is no doubt that everyone in the audience loved Joaquin and Gaga in this film.”
Kojima is set to partner with A24 for a “Death Stranding” adaptation. The game, which debuted in 2019, stars Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Guillermo del Toro, Elle Fanning, Shioli Kutsuna, and Margaret Qualley, with Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn in supporting roles.
Kojima confirmed that he will not be directing the “Death Stranding” film, despite being considered a video game auteur. Instead, he will be “deeply involved in producing, supervising, plotting, look, design and content of the film adaptation of DS, just not in charge of directing.”
Could Phillips be Kojima’s pick to bring “Death Stranding” to the screen? It seems that Kojima may be in the minority on his fandom of Phillips’ sequel…
Paul Schrader previously said that he left the theater after 25 minutes of “Folie à Deux,” adding that he couldn’t stand lead actors Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga onscreen. Meanwhile, Tarantino pointed to his perceived meta-ness of the feature, saying that Phillips was really “the Joker [that] directed the movie.”
“He’s saying fuck you to all of them. He’s saying fuck you to the movie audience. He’s saying fuck you to Hollywood. He’s saying fuck you to anybody who owns any stock at DC and Warner Brothers […] And Todd Phillips is the Joker. Un film de Joker, all right, is what it is,” Tarantino said about director Phillips. “He is the Joker.”
