The People's Joker

The best satire splits the difference between affection and contempt, and the debut of Vera Drew, the comedy writer turned DIY dynamo, is no different.

Original, daring, and definitely not for everyone.

Shot over five days, this very indie movie stars writer-director Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin and borrows liberally from the Batman universe to tell a story of personal discovery.

Savage and sweet – Drew attacks every target from a place of appreciation and experience.

The People's Joker will likely become a gateway for queers, of any age, inspired to right wrongs in a truly gay way. As is our right.

Like no superhero movie before it, the subversive coming-of-age story reinvents the villain's origins with a mélange of visual styles and a barrage of gags.

The People’s Joker is absolutely a superhero story ... But The People’s Joker is also a transgressive piece of outsider art and a personal human story, which uses the language of superhero movies to tell a tale of identity and becoming.

This isn't just sticking it to the man, it's a middle finger to the entire cis-tem with Drew as our puckish master of ceremonies, confidently asserting herself as a thrilling and vital new voice.

Writer-director-lead actor Vera Drew has made a daring and subversive film about why a trans person finds solace and meaning in a superhero villain.

Drew’s exploration of gender through her own life [and] a villain’s origin tale, pops through pop culture and personal revelations with equal attention. There’s magpie intensity in every frame, rising from a gullet of sharp gravel and soothing bubblegum.