We are unfortunately living in a day and age where mass shootings have become almost a weekly if not daily topic in our lives. One of those tragic events happened back in 2012 during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado. On that day James Holmes walked in on the audience and murdered 12 people and injured 70. The aftermath of this and every mass shooting comes with the blame game. Depending on what side you’re on you might blame guns, mental health, policy, video games, music, movies or all of the above.

Today we are a few days away from the release of Warner Bros.’ Joker directed by Todd Phillips. Which has got a lot of positive buzz due to its victory at the Venice Film Festival as well as a general good reception by most critics. But it’s also getting negative attention thanks to it’s gritty and realistic violence portrayed by the star of the film Joaquin Phoenix, who plays Arthur Fleck, an isolated and mentally ill antihero that one day becomes Batman’s arch-nemesis. Some survivors and relatives of the victims of the shooting back in 2012 are expressing their fears about the film. Concerned that there will be a few people in the audience that could connect with Phoenix’s character and end up emulating the behavior in the real world.

Due to this, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that two groups, Survivors Empowered and Guns Down America, have come together with some of the family members of the victims to craft a letter to Warner Bros. sharing their concerns about the film as well asking them to donate to groups that aid victims of gun violence. In a copy of the letter sent to THR it states, “We are calling on you to be a part of the growing chorus of corporate leaders who understand that they have a social responsibility to keep us all safe.”

The letter does not ask the Warner Bros. to stop the release of the film or call for audiences to boycott it but it does ask the studio to “end political contributions to candidates who take money from the NRA and vote against gun reform” and “use your political clout and leverage in Congress to actively lobby for gun reform. Keeping everyone safe should be a top corporate priority for Warner Brothers.”

A Warner Bros. spokesperson said:

“Gun violence in our society is a critical issue, and we extend our deepest sympathy to all victims and families impacted by these tragedies.  Our company has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including Aurora, and in recent weeks, our parent company joined other business leaders to call on policymakers to enact bi-partisan legislation to address this epidemic.  At the same time, Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around  complex issues. Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind. It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.”

I believe there no one clear answer to the increase in these evil shootings. But I do find it a little unfair to target one specific film as the cause for an increase in violence, one that has not yet been released and seen by the public. Films have portrayed all kinds of atrocities since their inception and to start blaming them for some of these evil acts doesn’t solve anything. But with these acts continuing to happen and with no sight of resolution to the problem, it’s easy to see why films are an easy target.

ALSO SEE: TODD PHILLIPS SAYS HIS JOKER DOESN’T NEED ANYONE ELSE FROM THE WORLD OF DC

Do you think that there is a connection between films and shootings? Let us know in the comment section below!

Warner Bros. Joker will be released in theaters October 4th, 2019.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter