Starring: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Archie Yates
Review: Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) is a lonely German boy who discovers that his single mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. Aided only by his imaginary friend -- Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi) -- Jojo must confront his blind nationalism as World War II continues to rage on.
Jojo Rabbit is a wonderful anti-hate satirical commentary on WWII Nazi Germany, that uses humor as a vehicle to showcase how utterly ridiculous and ignorant Nazi ideologies truly were. Obviously, we don't necessarily need a comedy film to illustrate this concept, but I thought Taika Waititi took a huge leap in trying to showcase blind nationalism and irrational hatred in a different light than we are traditionally accustomed. Waititi, who is Jewish himself, actually portrays Jojo's fictionalized, imaginary friend version of Adolph Hitler. Waititi plays Hitler as a sort of devil-on-the-shoulder buffoon of a character who tries to deter Jojo from the forces of light trying to permeate his impressionable brain. Although their relationship starts off as lighthearted and silly, it becomes increasingly volatile as Jojo begins to form a friendship with his hidden Jewish housemate, Elsa. Jojo is conflicted because his Hitler Youth upbringing has brainwashed him into believing all sorts of incorrect things regarding Jewish people; from them having horns, to being able to read minds, and a whole slew of other outrageous traits.
I love the overall message of this film as 10-year-old, innocent Jojo starts to realize that all of these things he has been led to believe are insignificant. He genuinely starts to develop a friendship and strong feelings for Elsa that are really sweet and heartfelt. Roman Griffin Davis and Thomasin McKenzie are brilliant as the two young leads who are building a beautiful friendship despite their much different world views. Beyond that, I thought this was perhaps the best work I've ever seen from Scarlett Johansson. I thought she was absolutely fantastic as Jojo's single mother, Rosie. Johansson plays the character with a sense of authenticity among a cast of cartoonish characters, as she attempts to balance out being a single mother to a boy in WWII Nazi Germany with her own personal feelings of anti-nationalism. To keep up appearances, she allows her son to participate in Hitler Youth camps, but subtly attempts to skew Jojo's outlook to the more understanding and compassionate side when she has moments with him behind closed doors. Rosie is sweet, clever, and an oftentimes comedic character that Johansson plays absolutely perfectly. I also really enjoyed Sam Rockwell's performance as Jojo's Hitler Youth Captain Klenzendorf. Rockwell's character is in a position of power within the Nazi party, but also demonstrates an ability to differentiate good vs. evil in the most fragile situations. Captain Klenzendorf acts as a mentor to Jojo and has a sweet relationship with him that I honestly did not expect.
Despite its satirical and outwardly comical nature, we must not forget that this film revolves around Nazi Germany and the horrors of war circa WWII. Due to the inherently grim nature of this time period, this film also exhibits moments that are absolutely soul-crushing. There is a lot of heart and emotion to this story, and some of the scenes aren't the easiest to watch. At the end of the day, Taika Waititi does it again with another remarkably moving film with a truly beautiful message of friendship and courage. Jojo Rabbit deserves all of the accolades it has received entering the 2020 Oscars season, and I can't recommend this film enough!
Fun Fact: Taika Waititi described the film as a love letter to his mother, and single parents everywhere: "It wasn't until I was a grown up and I had kids of my own that I realized 'oh, these parent people, they make a lot of sacrifices, it's really hard raising a kid!'"