In the cold and hopeless Gotham City, the humble Arthur Frank (Joaquin Phoenix) makes a living by playing a clown. His mother, who depends on him for life, suffers from mental illness, and Arthur remembers his mother's teachings. No matter what kind of setbacks he suffers, he always smiles at life, but he is under great pressure and on the verge of collapse. He dreams of becoming a talk show actor, but life hits him hard on the head again and again. Not only that, he lost his job due to an accident, and accidentally glimpsed his mother's secret, which ignited his heart for the father who had never met him but was in a very different status. Fate is used to going against one's wishes. In the empty subway, the sad clown kills in the crazy laughter that he can't help... This film won the Golden Lion Award at the 76th Venice Film Festival.