Jojo Rabbit Hops into our Hearts
Illustration by Chloe Geschwind
As Nazi Germany faces an inevitable loss in World War II, Johannes “Jojo” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) is undoubtedly ambitious in becoming a young, 10 year old Nazi soldier. Directed by and starring Taika Waititi, “Jojo Rabbit” provides a humorous look at WWII. While the movie does show a realistic view of the war, the deaths it caused, and the unreasonable hatred and persecution of the Jewish people, it shines a light of comic relief on a generally dark and intense period of time.
The movie focuses on young Jojo’s fixation on Nazi antisemitism. Since he was taught by his nation’s authoritative figures that Jewish people have horns, fangs, tails, etc. he feels confused when he finds a Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomasin Mckenzie). Jojo’s mother (Scarlett Johansson) is protecting Elsa by allowing her to hide within the attic crawlspace of Jojo's house. While Jojo initially wants Elsa to face the same persecution as other Jewish people under Nazi rule, he realizes that to reveal her existence would not just bring harm to Elsa, but to his mom as well. With this new roommate, Jojo soon learns how incorrect his learned perception of Jews is. Since Jojo was only a ten-year-old boy, it was very hard for him to face the truth and admit that he was in the wrong his whole life.
People may think this movie’s goal is to make light of the war, but it isn’t. It contains many real life themes that combine comedy and reality. WWII ended nearly 75 years ago, so a comedy about these horrific events that happened relatively recently could definitely offend some people. There is no positive outlook of Nazis in this movie, but rather an emphasis of the naivety of Nazis and how figures of authority were able to pass a negative perception of Jews onto children.
In “Jojo Rabbit,” Waititi plays Adolf Hitler as a supportive imaginary friend to Jojo during his times of need. Having a picture of Hitler as someone who is a friend to a little kid really contrasts the image that the audience is generally accustomed to. Waititi's portrayal of Hitler isn’t meant to make you think that perhaps Hitler was a good guy; rather, it shows how strong his influence could be on the young minds in Nazi Germany. Jojo was so incredibly brainwashed in the “Heil Hitler” ideals that his closest confidant was Hitler himself.
The notable performances of Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo and Archie Yates as Yorki, Jojo’s best friend, accurately and hilariously demonstrate their innocent views of the war. The two naive 10 year old boys talk about how they will kill any Jewish person they see. The violent content mixed with age-appropriate speech is startling.
A WWII comedy would have to be done in a careful way in order to truly illustrate the reality of it, and “Jojo Rabbit” succeeded. This is not a parody, it’s a satirical comedy. However, it will most definitely make you do more than just laugh. While it carries an overall theme of witty and dark humored jokes, you can be taken aback by the parts that make you cry. These parts remind you of what this movie is really about. “Jojo Rabbit” has been able to achieve Oscar buzz this upcoming awards season, and rightfully so.