Jojo Rabbit
Director Taika Waititi, also
known as Taika Cohen, a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian, who
directed the highly successful 2017 “Thor: Ragnarok” with a box
office total of $854 million, takes on a much smaller, more intimate project
for his encore effort. A combination of drama and comedy woven into a very satirical
examination with humor, seriousness and sensitivity about Germany’s Adolph
Hitler’s influences on the impressionable minds of the Hitler youth toward the
end of World War 2 in the film “Jojo Rabbit”.
Based on the book by Christine
Leunens called “Caging Skies”, “Jojo Rabbit” tells the story of a 10 year old
German boy (Roman Griffin Davis) nicked named “Jojo”. He was given the name because
he was afraid to kill a rabbit in a Nazi Youth training camp resulting in him
being ostracized by his youthful peers. But young Jojo is determined to preserver,
he is unwavering, he idolizes Hitler to the point he has several large photos
and posters of him on his bedroom wall. And it is because of his blind loyalty he also begins to believe he can actually speak to an affable kind
hearted Hitler in his private imaginative moments of introspective thought.
So we see throughout the film “Jojo” seeking out advice from his “friend Adolph” in the hopes he can be
a better, more loyal German. Meanwhile his mother (Scarlett Johansson) who pledges
loyalty to all things Germany is in actuality part of the secret underground resistance,
going as far to even hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home attic.
As the events of history of
the war are seen to be coming to an end, young “Jojo” is feeling more
conflicted from embracing his mother’s saintly beliefs verses the guidance from
his imaginary Hitler more dismissive “it’s no big deal to hate” buffoonish
beliefs. But over time and slowly, we watch Jojo” beginning to question his many
hateful infused indoctrinated beliefs. And with a supporting cast of Rebel
Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen, and Sam Rockwell “Jojo” begins to confront his initial blind nationalism as nothing more than a
bankrupt ideology and methodology.
REVIEW: With
some of the funniest, smart and witty dialogue I have heard in a long time
”Jojo Rabbit” is almost certain to garner some serious Oscar consideration for a
Best Adapted Screenplay nomination next
January 2020. And with a running at 1:48 minutes the subject matter of Hitler
and Jews under any normal circumstance is a not something to trifle with in the
slightest – even in the art form. But Director Taika Waititi manages to adroitly
navigate this delicate subject area with aplomb, sophistications, composure and
self-assurance to ultimately making the case for people everywhere to wake up,
as the same level of bigoted discourse that was present in humanity’s recent
dark history is making the same clarion calls for nativist hatred toward the
“others” all over again.
Just as actor and director
Roberto Benigni did with his 1997 double Oscar winning film “Life is Beautiful”
we again get to look closely at ourselves under a cinematic microscope through a
child’s innocence. We get to examine our young “Jojo” through a kind of reflectively
analysis as his character here is perfectly developed in human flesh and blood
form as well as a symbolic metaphoric vessel of just how children at key
stages are confronted with having making powerful decisions. A monumental
life altering decision about people either being fellow humans or only someone
to be impulsively and instinctly despise because of the perpetual sinister encroachment of outside negative influences driven only with the desire of selfishly capturing
as many unsophicated minds designed to demonizing and vilifying all
people not just like you.
“Jojo Rabbit is brilliantly and
satirically smart, but ultimately focuses on “hate” and its ruinous effectiveness. The film makes the case that hate attacks
not the human heart but more often the far more spongeable human mind. Slowly and
brazenly permeating the minds of the most naïve into embracing early on many shallow,
dangerous and idiotic notions such as you “can smell certain ethic groups by
what they eat”, “they have huge horns”, “they eat their young children at birth”
and “at night they hang from ceiling like bats.
I found this surprisingly
sleeper film to be very well-cast including Sam Rockwell, who has seemly cornered
the Hollywood acting market of always playing some kind of redneck bigoted curmudgeon
who slyly rises to a moment of human decency and kindness in the end (i.e, The
Green Mile, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, The Way, Way Back). He,
Rebel Wilson and others have some of the most memorable funny lines you will hear
all year.
With a bit of Quentin Tarantino "Inglorious Basterds" flair and Wes Anderson "Moonrise Kingdom" honesty, “Jojo Rabbit” is a sincere
story rooted in an abundance of sweetness and innocence from its beginning to
its surprising heartwarming end. And even while this fictional story is flushed
with much humor, the real horrors and atrocities of what actually happened in
World War 2; those real life and death struggles and sacrifices are never made
to ever feel either obscured or diminished. Rather, in the end “Jojo Rabbit” offers a profound message in the most salient
and audacious way. An often quoted profound message from noted philosopher George
Santayana which states……….. “those who don't remember their history are condemned
to repeat it”.
“Jojo Rabbit”, see it,
remember it and never forget it.
“Heil, Jojo Rabbit”.
3.75 Stars
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