Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction and in the case of 'Joker' it is like that. Bernhard Goetz's story inspired the scene where everything changes for Arthur Fleck. The Goetz case became known around the world back in the 1980s, completely changed New York City, and has now inspired one of the greatest movies of all time. The differences between 'Joker' and the real story are clear, but they are also proof that everything the film raises is not new.
'Joker' may be a movie about the origin of a comic book character, but what it shows us is much more real than we can imagine. So real that one of the most shocking scenes in the film is inspired by an event that occurred in New York more than 30 years ago.
If you haven't seen the movie and are thinking about going to the movies these days, it's better that you stop reading. Next we will explain the scene in question so there will be SPOILERS. When you've seen it you can go back and discover the story that served as the basis for this key moment in 'Joker'.
We can say that Arthur Fleck becomes the Joker we all know when, during a subway ride, he shoots some men who were harassing a woman in the car. Unfortunately, just as the men begin to harass the woman, Fleck breaks into a fit of laughter that he can't control, and the group proceeds to attack the character played by Joaquin Phoenix.
As they beat him, Arthur pulls out the gun he was carrying and shoots at them. They all die except one, who runs off and the Joker chases after him to finish him off. This story may not be familiar to you, but many New Yorkers who lived in the city in the 1980s lived a similar story in real life.
This is the case of Bernhard Goetz, an American citizen who, on December 22, 1984, shot four young African Americans in the New York subway who, according to his version, tried to rob him.
According to witnesses, at no time was there anything to indicate that the youths tried to rob Goetz, in fact everyone was surprised to see this man pull out a gun and shoot them for no apparent reason. After that, Goetz got off the subway and disappeared for nine days, until on December 31 he turned himself in to New Hampshire authorities.
"You can't imagine what it's like to be a victim", that was one of the many things said by the man who inspired the scene of 'Joker'. But of course it was not the only thing, and among other things he admitted that he wanted to do hurt those kids and that when he saw them something changed inside him, his state of mind was transformed and reality changed completely.
Goetz had been the victim of a robbery a few years earlier, he was also beaten and had several injuries as a result. That is the reason why many believed at the time that it was all due to the fear of being attacked again and that he acted in self-defense.
When the citizens of New York learned of the case, many of them began a campaign to get him released. For thousands of inhabitants of the Big Apple, Goetz was a hero, they gave him the nickname "The Vigilante" and there were even demonstrations in favor of him and thousands of letters reached the police asking for his release. And it is that at that time the crime rates of the city were very high and many really believed that it had been self-defense.
Luckily the degree of violence that is unleashed in 'Joker' by the demonstrations did not occur in real life, in addition to the young people of the subway, although they were seriously injured, they survived the shots.
Finally Bernhard Goetz served eight months in prison for
possession of a weapon without a license and was later released. His case
completely changed New York City, and 35 years later it has inspired one of
the best movies in history.
