STARRING in your own film about a young Nazi boy as an imaginary and flamboyant Adolf Hitler could easily go wrong, yet Taika Waititi pulls it all together for Jojo Rabbit. While some may criticize its lighthearted tone in such a serious setting, the film uses the innocence of Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) to examine the indoctrination of youth and paths to pull them out of hateful spirals. Jojo Rabbit successfully walks this tightrope act with the help of Waititi’s signature comedic style, a dash of Wes Anderson, and a heaping dose of political satire.
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Jojo Rabbit follows one of Adolf Hitler’s biggest fans, Jojo. Jojo’s social awkwardness and general isolation (save for his second-best friend, Yorki, played by Archie Yates) lead to him adopting Hitler himself as his imaginary friend. However, Jojo’s blind nationalism finds itself challenged when he discovers a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) hiding away in his attic, who his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) invited.
For such a bleak and dire setup, Waititi manages to make the comedy work. Often times political satire can get a little too on the nose to work, but all of the jokes hit the mark in Jojo Rabbit and none stand out as significant duds. Stephen Merchant shines as Captain Deertz, a member of the Gestapo. His pivotal scene was one of the funniest in the movie and included a hysterical deconstruction of formal Nazi introductions (à la “Heil Hitler”).
Scarlett Johansson received less screen time than one may expect based upon her Oscar nomination for the role, but she gave a heartwarming and endearing performance nonetheless. Archie Yates as Yorki was the obvious scene-stealer and got some of the biggest laughs out of the theater. His failing-upwards style and charming naivety played excellently alongside Jojo’s much more serious and focused innocence. At the emotional turning point of Jojo Rabbit, Roman Griffin Davis delivers the knockout punch of the film. Juxtaposed against the jauntiness of the preceding scenes, watching Jojo come to terms with the revelation about his core identity and worldview is incredibly powerful.
Jojo’s revelation leads to the core message of Jojo Rabbit: that the young and emotionally vulnerable are easily susceptible to indoctrination when looking for a place of belonging. Extremists can lead these groups down morally reprehensible paths without them questioning or realizing it. They do not see the bars of their own cage. Although, this can all change when forced to confront the object of their manufactured hatred. When Jojo meets Elsa, the years of propaganda slowly but surely lose their hold on him until the human connection prevails. Jojo Rabbit also acknowledges this approach may not work for the most ardent Nazi supporters and promptly showcases an alternative method.
Jojo Rabbit has heart and delivers a powerful message wrapped in a witty and humorous coating. Taika Waititi fuses an abhorrent tragedy with political satire (that has an admittedly modern bent), to great success. Jojo Rabbit may not make the most unique or crushing observations, but it makes them in a wholly unique way. Plus, with the growing polarization of contemporary politics, these messages bear repeating.
