Joker: Folie à Deux, starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix. Received an extraordinary 11-minute standing ovation at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. Directed by Todd Phillips, this highly anticipated musical thriller captivated the audience. With Phoenix arriving early to interact with fans and Phillips borrowing a paper fan to stay cool. Lady Gaga’s entrance created a buzz, with paparazzi scrambling to capture her arrival.
Joker: Folie à Deux – A Musical Twist
Joker: Folie à Deux is a sequel to the 2019 film Joker, which had its Venice premiere, won the Golden Lion, and earned over $1 billion worldwide. The original film also received two Academy Awards and was nominated for eleven Oscars. The sequel, set two years after the original, introduces Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn and integrates a unique musical element. In the film, Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, now a patient at Arkham State Hospital. Falls for music therapist Lee (Gaga), leading to shared musical delusions.
Fashion and Performance Highlights
Lady Gaga arrived at the premiere in a stunning Christian Dior Haute Couture gown and a striking Philip Treacy headpiece. Her presence evoked memories of her iconic red carpet appearances, with fans eagerly awaiting her arrival. In Folie à Deux, Gaga and Phoenix’s characters sing live on screen, a feature that added authenticity to their performances. Gaga remarked on the challenge of combining choreography with spontaneity, noting, “You can learn a song, learn a routine for a dance…but that’s not always the most honest thing to do on camera.”
High Stakes and Oscar Hopes
The film’s standing ovation has set high expectations as it competes for the Venice Film Festival’s top prize alongside films such as Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door and Luca Guadagnino’s Queer. Todd Phillips acknowledged the pressure of following up a successful film, stating, “You just have a different pressure.” Joker: Folie à Deux is set for release on October 4, and its early reviews will play a crucial role in determining its Oscar potential and box-office success.