There was a time when poking fun at Hilter and the Nazi party was completely unheard of, but then the late great Charlie Chaplin portrayed a character inspired by Hitler in The Great Dictator and the rest was history. From then a few films have followed in its wake, each offering a satirical look at the day-to-day life within Nazi Germany, most recently with Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds back in 2009.
All things considered, I don’t believe that there is a gap in the film market for a satirical film about World War II, because the story deserves to be told with respect and love for the victims and their families; but Waitit’s Jojo Rabbit focuses its story on the mind of a 10-year-old boy obsessed with Hitler and the Nazis and how the indoctrination of the regime’s propaganda campaigns has affected his views on the world around him.
If you appreciate a film for its acting values, cinematography and editing then Jojo Rabbit will tick all of the boxes you require. The casting choices made for the film, compliment the quirkiness that we know Waititi is known for and the actors’ skill balances perfectly with their character
Hilter Seen Through The Eyes Of a 10-Year-Old Boy
Waititi portrays Hitler as being quite immature, which is clever considering he’s a figment of a child’s imagination. Johansson plays Rosie (JoJo’s mother) who is tasked with raising her son whilst his father has mysteriously disappeared to Italy. Unbeknownst to Jojo, Rosie has become a member of the resistance, fighting against the Nazi regime and the falsehoods of its propaganda campaigns..
Rosie loves her son deeply, you feel that love shine through in the little games she plays with Jojo on a daily basis, but she’s uneasy about revealing her double-life to son because she’s worried how her enthusiastic little Nazi would react. We as viewers see the games she plays with her son as ways of making Jojo question the falshoods he has become to accept due to his obsession with the Führer.
Sam Rockwell, Alfie Allen and Rebel Wilson play three hapless ‘camp counsellors’ who poke fun out of the Nazi regime with the exaggerated tasks they give to the children; tasks like ‘how to throw a grenade properly’ or ‘The perfect way to birth fifteen children for Hitler’. McKenzie plays Elsa, a young Jewish girl who Rosie has allowed to hide in their home. When Jojo discovers her the two are initially sworn enemies, but over time they start to find common ground with each other and a friendship begins to blossom.
An Anti-Hate Satire Told Through The Eyes of a Child
For me though its Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo) and Archie Yates (Yorki) who steal the show. Reportedly both young actors had very little acting experience before this film, but that hasn’t disadvantaged them at all. Their portrayal of two innocent minded children, who are a product of their environment is almost perfect.
There is a great scene were JoJo tells Yorki that he has found a Jewish girl in his house and the two discuss what she may look like, “Does she have horns growing out of her head?” to which JoJo replies, “She tells me they are hidden behind her hair.” It’s this fascination and friendship which drives the underlying message past the comedy to comment on the manipulation and brainwashing even young children suffered under the Nazi regime.
Whilst the film is mostly a comedy, there are some quite sombre and poignant notes within its course. The opening sequence shows archives of Hitler’s various visits around his stronghold, played against The Beatles song “I Want To Hold Your Hand” in German. The clips are cleverly cut into between JoJo running through his town saluting everyone he meets, to comment on how you could view that some people believe Hitler was a celebrity and their fascination would have been on the same level as Beatlemania.
At some points you almost find yourself humming and singing along, which you could almost say adds to the hysteria because you’re taken out of reality and relate to a song or band which people idolized. Another sequence features The Gestapo, whose leader played by Stephen Merchant storms the Betzler household because they have been tipped off. Jojo invites them into the house and there is a section were they must salute Hitler over 30 times either whenever someone enters the room or exits the room.
We Can Be Heroes
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you will know that the Germans lost the war and at the end of the film Elsa is finally given the opportunity to leave the Betzler household walls and go outside safely. Jojo has to coax Elsa outside, in the same pattern his mother would have every day but finally, when they go outside, Elsa does what she has always wanted to do if she were freed; she wanted to dance. The two share a beautiful moment set to David Bowie’s “We Can Be Heroes” which is about two lovers who are divided by the Berlin Wall.
The dancing between the two isn’t epic or stylistic but the movement in their bodies feels free because they are both finally free: Elsa of her oppression and JoJo of his insecurities as a boy who didn’t really know who he wanted to be.
Verdict
In short, if you have reached the bottom of this review then you will have been able to gauge that I loved this film, but I can see how it has been met with mixed reviews. It’s beautifully shot and features solid performances from all the cast.
