Would Joker have worked before 2019?

Last year, Todd Phillips’ Joker took not only Gotham, but the world, by storm. The film rapidly became the highest grossing R-rated film of all time, and was lauded as a mesmerising cinematic conversation about austerity, mental health disorders, and 21st century social cohesion. But would it have had the same impact if it was released earlier than 2019? Is Joker’s success the product of the growing unrest of the late 2010s? Or do its concerns lie much deeper? Recorded before lockdown, find out as the Defence Force and friends address these surprisingly complex questions.