THE PEOPLE'S JOKER (2022)
Label: Altered Innocence
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 92 Minutes 28 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2:39:1)
Director: Vera Drew
Cast: Vera Drew, Lynn Downey, Kane Distler, Nathan Faustyn, David Liebe Hart, Phil Braun, Griffin Kramer, Christian Calloway
Vera Drew's The People's Joker (2022) is a DIY queer coming-of-age story that filter's her own personal journey as a transwoman filtered through an edgy parody of DC comics, utilizing live-action on greenscreen, action-figures, and both traditional 2D and digital animation. Vera Drew plays Joker the Harlequin a closeted transgirl who grows up in Smallville, with her disapproving Mother (Lynn Downey), who unable to cope with her daughter's transition sends her to Arkham Asylum to see Dr. Crane (Christian Calloway) who prescribes her the anti-depressant inhalant Smilex. Later she moves to Gotham where she auditions for the UCB Live sketch-comedy show, but is rejected by show creator Lorne Michaels (Maria Banmford), she then starts an anti-comedy club with fellow comedian The Penguin (Nathan Faustyn), a safe space to celebrate bad-comedy. There she meets toxic love-interest Mr. J (Kane Distler) aka Jason Todd, a transman, who turns out to be toxic, and has his own twisted story after having been groomed by the pedopgile caped crusader Batman (Phil Braun).
You can also look forward to seeing versions interesting takes on Poison Ivy, Ra's al Ghul, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Mr. Freeze, The Riddler, and the film pulling elements of The Dark Knight Returns as well as various DC film properties and films, and we even get The Daily Planet's editor-in-chief Perry White re-imagined as an vile Alex Jones-esque commentator.
This artful bit of experimentation is quite unlike anything I have ever seen, the DC-ified version of director Vera Drew's own story is a a wild and wonderful watch, feeling handmade at every turn, made by a community of trans and queer artists, and I love the fair use aspect of the Batman/DC properties being subverted to convey a personal coming-of-age story that is not only visually aces but deeply personal and engaging. For all it's wild visual style and subversive use of IP this still had a heart to it, a deeply personal story of a transwoman's coming-of-age, but filtered through the colorful and weird world of DC characters, it pretty genius, and more emotionally impactful than most superhero flicks of the modern age.
Audio/Video: The People's Joker (2022) arrives on Blu-ray from Altered Innocence in 1080p HD framed in 2.39:1 widescreen. The artful images are vibrant and look terrific, brought to life with greenscreen and 2D and digital animation, the abundance of comic book inspired colors impresses throughout. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles. The track is clean and well-balanced, music and dialogue is well-balanced.
Extras include an Audio Commentary Track with Director Vera Drew; a second Audio Commentary Track with Director Vera Drew and Actor Nathan Faustyn; and a third Audio Commentary Track with Assorted Cast & Crew. We also get the 47-min A Discussion with Director Vera Drew and 'Corpses, Fools, and Monsters' authors Willow Catelyn Maclay and Caden Mark Gardner; 1 5-min Behind-the-Scenes Gallery; a 10-min Anatomy of a Scene Featurette; the 26-min Queesbo TV with Suicide Cop Pilot & Serve the Date; plus the 2-min Original Theatrical Trailer and a selection of Altered Innocence Trailers.
The single-disc release arrives in a clear keepcase with a 2-sided, non reversible sleeve of artwork. Inside there's a 24-Page Comic Zine with an essay by director Vera Drew.
Special Features:
- 24-page Comic 'Zine
- Audio Commentary Track with Director Vera Drew
- Audio Commentary Track with Director Vera Drew and Actor Nathan Faustyn
- Audio Commentary Track with Assorted Cast & Crew
- A Discussion with Director Vera Drew and 'Corpses, Fools, and Monsters' authors Willow Catelyn Maclay and Caden Mark Gardner (46:57)
- Behind-the-Scenes Gallery (4:45)
- Anatomy of a Scene Featurette (10:43)
- Queesbo: Suicide Cop Pilot (29:59) & Serve the Date (5:30)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (1:34)
- Altered Innocence Trailers: The Wild Boys, She is Conann, A Dim Valley, Dressed In Blue
Screenshots from the Altered Innocence Blu-ray:
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