Jojo Rabbit is Bold and Touching.

Overview:

This World War II era satire follows a lonely German boy named Jojo, played by Roman Griffin Davis, who’s world view is turned on its head when he discovers that his single mother, played by Scarlett Johansson, is secretly hiding a young Jewish girl, played by Thomasin McKenzie, in their attic. With the help of his dimwitted imaginary friend Adolf Hitler, Played by director Taika Waitti, Jojo Must come face-to-face with his blind loyalty of the nazi party.

Initial Thoughts:

Jojo Rabbit is a very controversial film. With Taika Waititi’s whimsical approach to the dark and gritty era of World War II Germany this film is able to get away with a lot. This film is at its core a coming of age tale, pulling elements from classic films of the same caliber such as Moonrise Kingdom. We follow Jojo and his childhood obsession with the nazi party. As we look at the events of the war through the eyes of this adolescent kid we see a lot of exaggerated portrayals of nazi leaders, this is apparent with Sam Rockwell’s performance as Captain Klenzendorf, Rebel Wilson’s performance as Fraulein Rahm, and Taika Waititi’s performance as Hitler.

This film hits all the normal relatable beats of a typical coming of age movie. As we follow Jojo and this best friend Yorki, Played by Archie Yates. In the first act we see the pair go off to a kind of Boy Scouts like camping trip but, instead of doing normal things like learning how to tie a knot, hiking, and making smores. We see the camp and the scouts do things such as book burnings, learning how to kill small animals without any feelings of fear or compunction, and grenade throwing. The aforementioned activity results in Jojo injuring himself and having to be sent home from camp. While home and recovering Jojo discovers his mother is hiding a jewish girl in their attic. Waititi manages to balance dark humor and emotional moments to create a very touching and quirky film.

Characters/Performances:

Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo: Davis stars in this film and we see the events of the film through his eyes. Davis gives a very mature and believable performance, he really holds his own in scenes with renowned actors such as Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johanson. You can’t help but to feel for him as he always carries a child’s innocence in the events of the fall of the nazi party.

Thomasin McKenzie as Elsa: McKenzie plays the Jewish girl that causes Jojo to question his loyalty to nazi party. At first glance you can see that she has fallen victim to the war and is broken. She is very defensive towards Jojo but eventually comes around to love him like a little brother. McKenzie’s performance takes a more serious and straight tone as she is traumatized and knows what the darker side of the war looks like, first hand. She serves as a reminder of the seriousness of the era and Mckenzie’s preformance portrays this character in a very understanding way.

Scarlett Johansson as Rosie: Johansson plays Rosie, Jojo’s mother. Wow! Rosie is the heart of this film. She is a single mother and doesn’t agree with the nazi ideals that her son embraces. Theres moments of ambiguity in the film in regards to Jojo’s father and sister. As the audience and how its presented we are just as curious as Jojo but it is never reveled. Johansson’s performance makes you understand why she doesn’t tell Jojo the truth, in order to protect him. Johansson gives a quirky yet emotional performance as she tries to do the best she can to hide Elsa as well as take care of Jojo. Without a doubt my favorite character and performance of this film.

Taika Waititi as Hitler: Waititi’s portrayal of Hitler is very hit or miss to me. In the context of the film Hitler is Jojo’s imaginary friend, with all of the nazi propaganda that Jojo’s room is decorated with and his desire to become a nazi he basically sees Hitler as something of a superhero. Waititi is very exaggerated with his performance as he comes from a child’s mind and this is where most of the humor comes from, with Hitler acting as something of a commentator and instigator of the films events. However there are moments where Hitler tries to appeal to Jojo’s dwindling interest in nazi ideals, this results in forced and brash speeches akin to actual speeches that Hitler gave. Through out the film the satire is very subtle and it never beats you over the head with it’s “Hitler bad, USA good” message. These speeches kind of undermine the established subtly.

Final Thoughts:

Jojo Rabbit is a very racy and upfront film. The way that the satire is presented is subtle and eases the tension of the setting and allows for very touching moments. With many stand-out performances and an immersive setting Jojo Rabbit is funny, emotional, and not afraid to get serious.

Rate:

B+