In Hustlers, a gang of down-on-their-luck strippers, led by the luminous Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), con Wall Street fat cats out of their ill-gotten gains. In Todd Phillips’ Joker, the alienated, disturbed Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), stripped of his job, dignity and mental health support, turns violently against the callous elite, embodied by billionaire Thomas Wayne. Rian Johnson’s Knives Out uses the tools of the Agatha Christie murder mystery to explore a tale of American entitlement, contrasting the dysfunctional wealthy Thrombeys — one of whom murdered the family patriarch — with its decidedly less-well-off staff. And in Parasite, from South Korean director Bong Joon Ho, the destitute, basement-dwelling Kims strive to climb the social ladder by leeching off the fabulously monied Park clan.
Welcome to this year’s Oscar season, where, as…