Folie à Deux joins the San Sebastian Festival’s roster

Todd Phillips’ villainous musical sequel Joker: Folie à Deux will be playing at the San Sebastian Festival as the surprise film of the current 72nd edition.

The film, starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it received an eleven-minute standing ovation, and had its North American premiere in Toronto. The film will be shown in two screenings in San Sebastian tomorrow (Saturday).

“Folie à Deux” is the sequel to Phillips’ 2019 film “Joker,” which also premiered in Venice and won the festival’s prestigious Golden Lion before being included as a surprise film in the San Sebastian Film Festival program.

“Joker” became the sixth-highest-grossing film of the year and won the Academy Awards for Best Actor for Phoenix’s performance and original score for Hildur Guðnadóttir. It received a total of 11 Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture, making it the first DC Comics film to do so.

In “Folie à Deux,” Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck, “now a patient at Arkham State Hospital, falls in love with music therapist Lee (Gaga).” As the duo experiences musical madness through their shared delusions, Arthur’s followers launch a movement to free him,” the official synopsis reads.

This year’s San Sebastián Festival is considered one of the largest editions of all time. The festival will screen numerous high-profile films, including Venice Golden Lion winner The Room Next Door by Pedro Almodovar.