JoJo Rabbit: The film about anti-hate and a petty Hitler.
The premise sounded way to bizarre for me to ignore: a little kid has Adolf Hitler as an imaginary friend. The trailer easily won me over with its charm and straight-up morbid goofiness. It helped that Taika Waitiki, a Jewish man, was directing, writing, and co-starring in the film. Jojo Rabbit became one of my most anticipated movies to watch for in 2019. It just had a whimsical, “how the hell did this get produced?” risk that feels missing in most films.
What’s it about?
The film is about a little German boy named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) who is wholly fascinated with the Nazi regime during WW2. The problem is that Jojo’s mother (Scarlett Johansson ) is secretly anti-nazi and hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home. Adding to Jojo’s issues is that his imaginary friend, Hitler (Taika Waitiki), is the personification of his blind fanaticism and checking on him to stay committed to the regime.
Is it a comedy or a drama?
This is a self- aware coming of age film set during a deeply tragic time in human history. It is a lighthearted film peppered with dramatic historical moments. It does a splendid job of mixing its over-the-top comedy and melancholic drama. The Nazi ideology represented in the film is portrayed with inflected absurdity in the tone of voice of the actors. Each piece of dialogue spoken by an adult wearing the Nazi uniform is delivered in a nonchalant manner intended to showcase how ridiculous their beliefs were. At times, the lines are delivered satirically. In other instances, we’re confused as to whether we should be laughing or not (which usually does result in at least a chuckle). Sadly, the dialogue that is spoken by each child and teenager is not delivered in the same matter. The youth have been brainwashed in such a matter that they speak about their Aryan ancestry with disturbing conviction.
The most important thing about the film is that it is self-aware of what it is trying to make the audience laugh at. It knows that this is not a moment in history that is intended to be approached comedically. There are moments that you are laughing out loud over the absurd beliefs that the Nazi regime perpetuates and instills in these kids. At the same time, it will quickly bring you back into the reality of life during that period. This is mainly accomplished through careful decisions regarding how lines are delivered by various characters throughout the film. A few scenes in particular that stand out is the public hanging of people opposing Hitler and the war, preceded by a silly conversation between Jojo and his mother about childhood.
Surprisingly this movie was disguised as something much more unique than another satirical film. Reflecting on this piece, I think of the African proverb,” It takes a village to raise a child.” The German town is filled with memorable characters that Jojo seeks out guidance from as he navigates the threshold between being part of the regime and a member of a home that is against the war.
The movie is at its best when it focuses on the relationships Jojo has with his mother and Elsa, specifically, his overcoming the indoctrination that presumably has lead to his odd choice of an imaginary friend.
The relationship with his mother is filled with laughs, love, and goofiness. It’s charming when we get to see them together, and it provides a perfect juxtaposition to Jojo’s environment. However, since the film knows these are not happy times, their relationship has its conflicts. Their different political beliefs over the war lead to saddening dinner conversations as she tries to reach her adolescent child through the brainwashing propaganda of the times, while remaining aware that in order for her boy to live, he must at least wear Nazism on his sleeve, if not in his heart.
The character I ended up loving the most was Elsa. She sort of plays the role of big sister and foil to Jojo. She herself is still learning how to become a woman, and the interactions she has with Jojo’s mother are some of the sweetest and most reflective scenes in the film. She has been left hiding in attics of various homes and remains optimistic and proud of her Jewish ancestry. She serves as a great catalyst for change and hardship for Jojo as he learns more about the world. When the movie focuses on Jojo and Elsa, you forget about the outside world that they live in and the circumstances that got them there. The entire film feels different, but it flows beautifully well with the overall film.
The depicted relationship he has with his imaginary friend, Hitler, is definitely the show-stealer. When Hitler shows up, he demands attention and makes sure that he is focus of the scene. My personal favorite moments include him offering cigarettes to Jojo, and some of his entrances and exits are so random that you ask yourself, “did that really happen?”. This kid’s vision of Hitler is ridiculously petty, though, at times, he can be charming, which makes it hard not to like him. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be a German child’s take on Hitler, and therefore, he is personified as a hero. Again, the film knows that the actual Hitler is not someone that one should admire, and there are moments where you will see glimpses of the historical dictator that manipulated masses of people through his words. These moments are somber and, quite frankly, terrifying, and wipes away the joy of the more playful interactions.
Bottom line
This is a film with an overall message that is strongly anti-hate, situated in a particularly dark moment in human history. Since we now live in such divisive times, I think we can use a film such as this that can make us laugh, cry, and reflect emotionally about the tension in opposing the beliefs of the past and the parallels which might be drawn to the present. It’s still in a few theaters, but you can easily rent it on Amazon or Redbox. It’s an easy film to digest and a heartwarming one that will provide you with laughs, some thought-provoking moments, and some real tear-jerking scene. It’s definitely on my top 5 list of films for 2019, and probably one of my favorite comedy films of all time.
