Review: Jojo Rabbit

by Joanna Bruno

(Originally published November, 2019)

Taika Waititi’s latest film, a World War II satire following a young, lonely German boy reimagines an era in history through comedy, without erasing the ugliness of war. As Jojo Rabbit expands its release worldwide, it continues to thrive at the Box Office, and rightfully so.

Jojo Rabbit opened in select theaters October 18, 2019 in the USA and is director Taika Waititi’s follow up film to a successful Thor: Ragnarok (2017). JoJo Rabbit stars Hollywood royalty such as Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell, while also shining light on fresh new faces like Roman Griffin Davis, who plays the titular role, alongside Archie Yates and Thomasin McKenzie.

The story follows Jojo, a young boy enrolled in the Hitler Youth program during World War II Germany, as he struggles internally with remaining loyal to the fatherland and what he feels is right upon learning his mother is sheltering a Jewish girl.

The film’s plot progressed nicely and there was never a dull moment on screen. The characters are all unique and given three dimensional elements that audiences can grow fond of and attach themselves to. JoJo is a ten year old boy who believes he is doing what is right for his country and wants admiration and acknowledgement from his role model, even if that man is Adolf Hitler. Johansson plays Rosie, a single mother, trying to disguise her and her son as a picture perfect German family even though she despises what Germany has become and rebels by hiding a Jewish refugee. Despite her son’s blind fanaticism with Nazi propaganda, Rosie teaches Jojo nothing but love and humanity, which becomes important when Jojo meets Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), the Jewish girl living in the wall.

The screenplay was riddled with jokes and had the audience laughing and in awe of it’s critique of wartime Germany. The humor was not in bad taste, and rather worked well with the film as it brought attention to the obscenities of war and hatred as opposed to downplaying it. The film was also extremely visually pleasing in it’s set design, color palette and cinematography; it was reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s works like Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and Rushmore (1998).

Jojo Rabbit is a beautiful film, not just visually, but also in it’s story and the emotion it carried. Spectators can relate to the characters and the story, the feeling of love triumphing over hate and the importance of family and looking out for one another. Teaching and practicing kindness was a huge takeaway from this film, and gives it a special place in my heart. However, while the messages of the film focused on love, showing the ugliness and severity of war was not overlooked. Without giving anything away, there is a scene as the war is coming to an end and Jojo is caught in an air raid. He watches soldiers of all ages fight on the front lines, among them are Hitler youth children as well, blindly fighting for a cause they can’t possibly understand to its full capacity. He also witnesses the sacrifice of many, as people he loves surrender themselves to saving others who cannot defend themselves. It was very emotional and moving to see, it was a way we have never seen war portrayed in film yet, through the eyes of a ten year old boy who thought he was doing the right thing on the wrong side of history.

I believe this is Waititi’s best work yet and after watching Jojo Rabbit, I’m very excited to see what he creates next. This film was unique and brings something new and fresh to our screens. It was a one-of-a-kind look and approach to an unexpected topic, and a rare film that is so beautiful on so many levels is worth repeated viewings.

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All belong to Searchlight Pictures.

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