JOJO RABBIT

JOJO RABBIT

DIRECTOR : TAIKA WAITITI

RELEASE : 2019

Creating a World War II comedy-drama that counts on getting laughs about one of history’s greatest monsters is a big swing. But Waititi uses this humor to illustrate how easily fascism feeds off human flaws.The shift in tone comes when the film stops focusing on the banal and showcases the brutal horrors of the situation.

Beneath the fanaticism, Jojo(Roman Griffin Davis) is a frightened boy whose sister has died and whose father has disappeared in battle. But his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), has a secret: she’s a covert anti-fascist who is hiding a Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), in the attic. When Jojo stumbles upon Elsa, he is initially horrified, believing her to be a monster. But gradually the pair strike up a love-hate relationship that infuriates Imaginary Adolf and causes Jojo to start to rethink his allegiances.The film’s dramatic focus is how Jojo deals with this sprightly Jewish teen; he wrestles constantly between the Nazism he’s been taught and his own ingrained empathy (not to mention, an adorable boyhood crush).

There are some scenes which are close to my heart... for example when Jojo and his mother discover the bodies of four dissenters hanged in a public square. Waititi presents this discovery in a rare moment of contemplative stillness. The silence is broken only by a brief dialogue exchange that illuminates both characters; “What did they do?” asks the innocent Jojo, to which his mother responds: “What they could.” 

Rosie and Jojo share a playful camaraderie; she sways and dances whenever possible, and encourages Jojo to do the same. Dance plays an important role in conveying emotions like love, compassion, friendship and freedom. 

Jojo: Well, I won’t dance. Dancing is for people who don’t have a job.
Rosie: Dancing is for people who are free. It’s an escape from all this.
Jojo: Well, you’re free to dance your way home.
Rosie: Alright. Oh, no, you don’t. No one can stop me.

Rosie actually helps Elsa realize that this life is worth living in spite of all the problems one faces now. Better days are yet to come. A quiet scene between Rosie and Elsa in the crawl-space, in which Rosie tells the young girl of all the things she’ll get to do as a woman, is another highlight of the film.

Elsa: I don't know anything about being a woman. Is that what it is? You do things like drink wine?
Rosie: Sure. You drink champagne if you're happy. Champagne if you're sad. You drive a car. You gamble if you want. Own diamonds. Learn how to fire a gun.You travel to Morocco. Take up lovers, and make them suffer. You look a tiger in the eye. And trust without fear. That's what it is to be a woman.
Elsa: How do you do that?How do you know you can trust someone?
Rosie: You trust them. Goodnight.

The dynamic the two kids share is sweet and tragic all at once; Jojo has been taught to hate her the way he’s been taught to hate his own scars, but Elsa is also the only person who seems to truly accept him. His brainwashed opinion of Jews changes gradually as the movie progresses and soon they both become their best friends.

When the Axis powers lose the war, Jojo understands the futility of wars and soon Jojo is in great danger but then it is Elsa who saves him. And then, they dance, they dance their hearts out; an iconic dance which portrays their happiness and freedom.

While 'Jojo Rabbit' is in many ways a coming-of-age film, with its satirical stance it is also audacious one. It's a film that hits hard by its satire and makes for an overwhelming cinematic experience with the mix of conflicting emotions that it throws open. It is a film about love, romance, friendship, trust, child psychology and more than anything, humanity.