The paper argues that Joker (2019) is the first superhero film that meets the criteria to be classified as arthouse cinema. In the months following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the film became the centre of major controversy, with some news outlets concerned that it promotes violence. The author extracts the philosophical ideas, both on- and off-screen, which provoked film critics and audiences. The paper discusses genre theory, the Oedipus complex, and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Joker demands participation from its viewer—a trait of arthouse cinema—which is in strong opposition to the passive experience of other superhero-inspired films.
