There's no answer.
75.
He knocks again. Hard to hear anything over the loud music.
Now he tries the door. It's unlocked.
74
INT. SOPHIE'S APARTMENT, FRONT HALL - CONTINUOUS
74
Joker walks into Sophie's apartment, "Apache" thumping, lights dim.
JOKER
Sophie?
WALKS INTO THE DARK LIVING ROOM, catches a glimpse of Sophie,
naked riding on top of SOME GUY on the couch--
The guy sees Joker standing in the shadows and jumps. Sophie
turns and sees Joker as well. She screams--
75
INT. HALLWAY, APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT
75
Joker rushing for his mother's apartment.
Behind him, the guy comes out half naked into the hallway,
zipping up his pants, screaming at Joker--
Joker doesn't look back, doesn't hear the guy yelling at him--
Quickly opens the door to his mother's apartment and hurries
inside.
76
EXT. ARKHAM STATE HOSPITAL - MORNING
76
A GRAY, BEHEMOTH STATE HOSPITAL looming over the city block.
Metal screens cover steel-framed windows. Joker crosses the
street toward the building, eyes weary, he hasn't slept in
days.
HE SEES TWO GOTHAM CITY COPS AND A PARAMEDIC rolling a gurney
into the entrance... a naked, sunburned man screaming his
head off is handcuffed to the stretcher underneath a white
sheet. Joker follows them inside.
77
INT. ARKHAM STATE HOSPITAL - ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE - MORNING
77
Joker sits waiting in a cramped office, looking out a
plexiglass window that overlooks the crowded hallway--
76.
A constant din of people moving about, talking and shouting.
Patients handcuffed to the armrests of their wheelchairs,
lying on stretchers, heads covered with pillowcase turbans or
forearms to block out the harsh fluorescent lights.
His gaze is interrupted by a CLERK (40's), ID clipped to his
shirt, who's lugging an old heavy file storage box.
He drops the box down on his messy desk with a thud.
CLERK
Sorry for the wait. All our records
that are 10 years or older are
stored in the basement. You're
talking over 30 years ago,-- I had
*
to do some serious digging.
Joker nods thanks.
CLERK
Like I said, if it's in here, I'm
still gonna need a release from
her.
The clerk opens the file box. Starts digging though it. Joker
stares out the plexiglass window that faces the hallway--
JOKER
Can I ask you a question? How does
someone wind up in here? Have all
these people committed crimes?
CLERK
(going through the files)
Some have. Some are just crazy and
pose a danger to themselves or
others. Some just got nowhere else
to go.
Beat.
JOKER
(nods; looks down)
Yeah, I know how that is. Sometimes
I don't know what to do, y'know, I
don't think I can take any more of
this.
The clerk is half listening as he scans the paper work.
CLERK
Yeah, I can't take much more of
this shit either.
(MORE)
77.
CLERK (CONT’D)
Now they talking about more
layoffs, man, we're understaffed as
it is. I don't know what I'm gonna
do.
Joker looks up at the guy, thinking he's made a connection.
JOKER
Last time I ended up taking it out
on some,-- people. Bad shit. I
thought it would bother me but, it
really hasn't.
For the first time, the clerk looks at him--
CLERK
What's that?
JOKER
It's just so hard to try and be
happy all the time, y'know, when
everything's going to shit all
around you.
CLERK
(taken aback; beat)
Listen, I'm just an administrative
assistant, like a clerk. I file
paperwork, fill out forms. I don't
really know what to tell you, but
maybe you should see someone-- they
have programs, like city services.
JOKER
(backtracking)
Yeah. They cut those. Anyway, I was
just talking to talk.
The clerk just nods. Finally finds what he was looking for.
CLERK
(surprised)
Here it is,-- Fleck. Penny Fleck.
He pulls out an old file, bulging with yellowing records.
Moves the box to the floor and sits down at his desk.
JOKER
(saying it out loud for
himself to hear)
So she was a patient here.
The guy opens the file. Yellowing pages of her records--
78.
CLERK
(nods, skim-reading)
Uh-huh. Diagnosed by Dr. Benjamin
*
Stoner... The patient suffers from
*
delusional psychosis and
*
narcissistic personality
*
disorder... Found guilty of
*
endangering the welfare of a child--
*
The clerk stops reading out loud, eyes going wide as he skims *
further ahead. Joker just looks at the guy, waiting to see
*
what he's gonna say.
*
JOKER
What?
CLERK
*
You said she's your mother?
Joker just nods.
CLERK
(closes the file)
I'm sorry, I can't. Like I said, I
can't release this without the
proper forms. I could get in
trouble.
(closes the file; beat)
Besides, it's pretty bad.
CLOSE ON JOKER, he shakes his head and smiles to himself.
JOKER
I can handle bad. I've been on a
pretty bad run myself.
The clerk puts the file down on his desk--
CLERK
I can't help you. If you want these
records you have to get your mom to
sign a patient disclosure form. I
can have someone mail you one.
Joker just sits there, thinking it all over for a moment.
Then snatches the file off the clerk's desk--
The clerk grabs it as well.
They play tug-of-war with the file, it's awkward and goes on
way too long. Finally, Joker shoves the guy hard and pulls
the file away--
79.
He takes off running out of the office with it. The clerk
watches for a beat, but does nothing.
78
INT. HALLWAY, ARKHAM STATE HOSPITAL - MORNING
78
Joker running down the hallway, files in his hands. Frantic.
Unaware he is not being chased.
Turns a corner and runs down another long hallway.
Gets to a stairwell door and runs in.
79
INT. STAIRWELL, ARKHAM STATE HOSPITAL
- CONTINUOUS
79
Bounding down the steps. He stops at a landing below. Looks
*
up, sees no one is chasing after him--
*
ANGLE ON JOKER, catching his breath. He opens the file,
flipping through the records, finds the page the clerk was
reading. As he reads it over for himself, he HEARS his mother *
being interviewed for her psychiatric assessment, over 30
*
years ago.
*
MOM (VO)
*
He's not adopted-- he's Thomas
*
Wayne's son. I work for him, I told
*
you, I clean his house. He's always
*
smiling at me.
*
CUT TO:
*
80
INT. EMERGENCY INTERVIEW ROOM, ARKHAM STATE HOSPITAL - DAY 80
*
(FLASHBACK)
*
Penny Fleck (late 20's) is sitting across the table from DR.
*
BENJAMIN STONER (50's), in a dreary small interview room,
*
windows covered with security screens. Penny takes a drag off *
a cigarette, her face is beaten to shit, nose battered, lip
*
busted up.
*
Dr. Stoner is going over Penny's thick file, the same file
*
Joker's holding in his hands.
*
DR. STONER
*
We went over this, Penny. You
*
adopted him. We have all the
*
paperwork right here.
*
Penny doesn't say anything, just smiles like she's in on a
*
big secret. And exhales smoke.
*
80.
Dr. Stoner keeps going through the file, pulls out black &
*
white forensic photographs of three-year-old Joker's body--
*
DR. STONER
*
You also stood by as one of your
*
boyfriends repeatedly abused your
*
adopted son. And battered you.
*
Penny looks at Dr. Stoner like he's crazy.
*
MOM
*
He didn't do anything to me. Or to
*
my boy. Can I go now, I don't like
*
hospitals.
*
Dr. Stoner lays out the photographs in front of Penny--
*
Penny keeps smoking her cigarette, glances down at the
*
photos, we catch glimpses of various bruises on parts of
*
Joker's body... A filthy crib... A rope tied to the
*
radiator...
*
CUT BACK TO:
*
Joker looking over the same black & white photographs, still
*
HEARS his mother--
*
MOM (V0)
*
I never heard him crying. Not once.
*
He's always been such a happy
*
little boy.
*
DR. STONER (VO)
*
Penny, your son was found tied to a
*
radiator in your filthy apartment,
*
malnourished, with multiple bruises
*
across his body and severe trauma
*
to his head.
*
Joker looks up from the file when he hears/reads this, turns
*
and looks at Penny's reaction-- HE'S NOW IN THE INTERVIEW
*
ROOM WITH THEM, living what he's reading on the page.
*
He sees his mother lean forward in her chair, glaring at Dr.
*
Stoner--
*
MOM
*
That's not true. My apartment
*
wasn't filthy. I keep a clean
*
house.
*
Joker just stares at his mother.
*
Dr. Stoner looks at Penny, not sure how to respond to that.
*
81.
DR. STONER
*
(beat)
*
And what do you have to say about
*
your son?
*
ANGLE ON PENNY, thinking it over, taking a drag off her
*
cigarette.
*
MOM
*
I'm just glad I got to know him.
*
Joker just keeps staring at her as she exhales--
*
JOKER BACK IN THE STAIRWELL LOOKS UP FROM THE FILE, looks
*
like maybe there's cigarette smoke drifting in front of his
*
face--
*
CUT TO:
*
81
EXT. SCHOOL PLAYGROUND, STREET - AFTERNOON
81
Joker walking fast toward the playground. Sees Sophie talking
with some other moms, as GiGi and a few kids play on the
monkey bars.
Sophie walks toward him, still disturbed about last night--
SOPHIE
What the hell was that? You can't
just walk into my apartment like
that.
He is taken aback by her anger--
JOKER
No, wait,-- Sophie, we can get
through this, that's why I'm here.
SOPHIE
What are you talking about? What do
you think this is?
JOKER
I don't know. I mean I've never
been with a woman "like that," but,
this feels like a beginning to me.
SOPHIE
Arthur, I was just being nice to
you. I felt sorry for you. I have a
boyfriend.
82.
JOKER
You what? What? What kind of woman
are you? Who does that?
Some of the other mothers turn toward them--
SOPHIE
You need to leave. I'm not having
this conversation with you.
JOKER
(shouts)
Why not?
GiGi runs up to Sophie's side to see what's going on, to see
if her mother's okay.
SOPHIE
(turns to her daughter)
Go back with your friends, honey.
Mommy's having a grown up talk.
Before GiGi leaves Joker looks down at her--
JOKER
No. Don't listen to her GiGi, you
need to hear this. Your mother's a
bad person. She's a whore, she's
seeing two men at once. You can't
trust her,-- She'll break your
fucking heart.
Joker turns to go, behind him GiGi starts to cry. He's close
to tears himself.
Sophie takes off after him, and reaches out and grabs him--
Joker spins quickly around to face her, looks like he might
even hit her--
JOKER
How come nothing ever comes easy
for me?
And Sophie slaps him hard across the face-- Then turns and
walks away.
CLOSE ON JOKER, he begins to laugh--
CUT TO:
83.
82
INT. MOM'S APARTMENT, LIV
ING ROOM - NIGHT
82
Joker manically pacing around the living room, banging the
*
side of his head with his hand, muttering to himself, almost
*
like he's having a conversation with himself, taking part in
*
some story in his head, in the background the 11:00 News is
*
playing on the television.
*
Footage of a protest in front of Wayne Tower... Protesters in
"Joker" clown masks... Hear the NEWS ANCHOR's bombastic voice over, "The anger and resentment that's been building up for weeks now, seems close to exploding. Protestors today, many
dressed as clowns, took to the streets in front of Wayne
Tower in one of many planned demonstrations."
Joker stops when he hears this, turns to the flickering
screen--
ANGLE ON TELEVISION, protesters in the middle of a massive
crowd outside a Wayne Tower.
"CLOWN" PROTESTER #1 (ON TV)
You'll see what's gonna happen at
City Hall next Thursday. We're
gonna--
Joker sits down on the couch eyes, leaning forward to make
sure he's seeing what he's seeing--
"CLOWN" PROTESTER #2 (ON TV)
(interrupts; screaming
into camera)
[Beep] the rich, [beep] the media,
[beep] the blacks, [beep] the
whites, [beep] everybody. They all
[beeped] us, that's what this is
[beeping] about!
CLOSE ON JOKER, doesn't even blink, it's like he's watching
himself on television.
CUT TO:
83
INT. MOM'S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM - MORNING
83
*
Sun peeking through the windows. PHONE RINGING. Joker opening
his eyes.
His orange cat is sitting on his chest, staring at him.
Joker finally got some sleep. He lies there for a beat. Phone
still ringing, until the machine picks up the call.
84.
SHOW BOOKER (ON MACHINE)
This message is for Arthur Fleck.
My name is Shirley Woods, I work on
the Murray Franklin show.
*
Joker sits up, the cat jumps off his chest. He can't believe
*
what he's hearing. He gets up off the couch as the woman
*
continues to leave a message on the machine--
*
SHOW BOOKER (ON MACHINE)
*
I don't know if you're aware, but
*
Murray played a clip of your stand-
*
up on the show recently and we've
*
gotten an amazing--
*
Joker picks up the phone--
*
JOKER
*
(into phone; skeptical)
*
Who is this?
*
SHOW BOOKER (OVER PHONE)
*
Hi, this is Shirley Woods from
*
Murray Franklin Live. Is this
*
Arthur?
*
Beat.
*
JOKER
*
The Joker (2019) Script Page 8