Film Theory: Why Joker Is All A Lie

2. The Impossible Victory Shot

As Arthur is proclaimed the leader of Gotham's uprising for his murder of Franklin (something that in itself makes no sense, because Franklin isn't really a symbol of the upper classes, so we should question the truth of that sequence too), he's arrested (after being busted out of custody temporarily) and locked up in Arkham.

As we transition to that scene, though, we get to see Arthur wistfully drinking in another triumph as he watches Bruce Wayne's Batman origin, with one of the clown protesters shooting Wayne for his elitism and perceived corruption and then standing over the bodies of the Waynes.

But think about it, how is this possible? Even if we choose to believe that the Waynes were killed in the protest, Arthur is remembering the sight of Bruce standing orphaned in that famous alleyway as if he was there. He's cherishing a memory, and yet he wasn't there and he can't have seen it. It's an impossible moment that can only have come from his imagination rather than his memory.