Vera Drew: "Batman and Joker are the perfect analogy for the 'queer' experience."

BarcelonaIt all started on X, back when it was still called Twitter. Screenwriter Bri LeRose read a comment from director Todd Phillips (Joker, Hangover in Las Vegas) on the negative effects of culture woke in today's comedy. Outraged, she tweeted: "I'll only see this coward's movie if Vera Drew makes it again." No sooner said than done: Drew began to recover. Joker with the intention of parodying it, but at some point in the process she decided to make a film about the Joker herself, but to tell her own story of accepting her identity as a trans woman. Produced for less than 100,000 euros, without Warner's permission and mixing real actors and animation, the result is The people's Joker, an irreverent cocktail of humor queer, a superhero drama that Filmin premieres this Friday.

What led you to think that characters from the Batman universe like the Joker or the Penguin were a good vehicle for telling your own story?

— I've always loved these characters. When I was 13, I was obsessed with Batman comics and movies, so I really wanted to play with the characters. Plus, there are a lot of parallels between the experience queer and superhero movies. In my movie, all the characters are the bad guys from the Batman comics, so that people queer They're always treated as enemies, and at least the ones I know tend to dress like Batman villains. In my story, however, they're the heroes, and Batman is a sort of extension of the evil government of the dystopian society they live in.

At first, the idea of the Batman universe as a trans parable seems a bit surprising, but if you think about how superheroes hide behind masks and change their identities when they put on the uniform, it all makes perfect sense.

— It works very well with Batman and Joker, because they're very cartoonish and exaggerated characters, and that brings them close to mythical status. Batman comics can be very erotic and perverse, while also being very operatic and serious. Batman and Joker are the perfect analogy for the experience. queer. But it could work with any superhero, even with the X-Men, because they're stories about being gay, being Black, whatever. Basically, they're comics about otherness, about not being part of the mainstream, whether because of your gender or your identity.

The origin of the project was to make a parody of the film Joker, but it ended up being something very different and personal.

— Todd Phillips made a ridiculous comment, especially for someone who has made millions doing comedy, but his Joker It inspired me a lot. It was the first time I'd seen a comic book-based film that addressed mental illness and class struggle head-on. But I wanted to make my own version to speak to the trans experience. The film is a kind of bridge in my childhood that allows me to feel more connected to the rest of my life, process my childhood, my journey as an artist, and my relationships with my mother and ex-partner. I don't think directing it was therapeutic, but it helped me understand that I need therapy. And it was a lot of fun—it was like waking up every day to play with Batman toys.

I imagine Warner Bros. isn't too happy with your film. How did you manage to make it without having the rights to the characters?

— I didn't ask permission! I just did it. I consulted with lawyers while writing the script to make sure that our parody use was legitimate and that we weren't infringing on the copyright. copyright. Even so, Warner did everything they could to bury the film and tried to scare me into not releasing it. But there really hasn't been any repercussions: they haven't sued me or sent me any injunctions, they've just sent me angry emails telling me I shouldn't make the film. Basically, they didn't like it very much.

The film is dedicated to his mother already Joel Schumacher, the director of Batman Forever and Batman and Robin, a gay man who was widely criticized for having enhanced the elements field and kitsch of the character. In short, to make Batman gayer.

— Yes, there was definitely some homophobia in the reviews. But they also attacked him for turning the Batman characters into what they really are: children's comic book characters, as grand and mythical as those in an opera. And people weren't ready for it. On the other hand, those films thrilled us kids who saw them: it was incredible that a movie could be so colorful, exciting, dark, funny, and sexy.

By the way, have you seen the sequel to JokerMany believe Todd Phillips posed it as a reaction to the way many men interpreted it, almost as a justification for violence and hatred.

— Yes, I loved it Joker 2. It's like I did it for everyone who saw the first one Joker and they felt legitimized to be fascists, to behave as if they were entitled to women and power. I don't know if Todd Phillips has seen The people's Joker, but I imagine he at least knows it exists. And I think if he saw it he would probably like it, because it's basically the same thing he did in Joker 2: remake the first film and turn it into something else.

You are a comedian, and in The people's Joker There's also a lot of talk about comedy. In fact, there's a brutal and negative parody of the show. Saturday Night Live, an American comedy institution that the film portrays as a bunker of the most reactionary comedy.

— Nobody had laughed at him Saturday Night Live the way this movie does. In the US, the show is like a sacred cow, and for many people it's the only comedy out there, but that's not the case. It's true that some great comedians with a lot of talent have come out of it, but also many who have ended up making rubbish. They're supposed to be making cutting-edge comedy, but you read all the jokes three days ago on Twitter. And let's not forget that, in part, Donald Trump won the first election because he appeared on it. Saturday Night Live and on Jimmy Fallon's show. Comedy can serve as a weapon against politicians and expose the hypocrisy of institutions, but it's deeply disturbing that it's used as an armed wing of a fascist government.