Jojo Rabbit

No spoilers!

In the opening shot, you meet Johannes. A 10-year-old, proud, patriotic German. His best friend preps him up to make sure there's no fear or doubt left in Jojo's heart. And no, Jojo must not disappoint!

"Jojo Betzler. 10 years old. Today, you join the ranks of the Jungvolk (/Yung-Fok/], in a very special…training weekend. It's going to be intense. But today, you become a man".

Set in Falkenheim, a fictional city, the story is about a deeply indoctrinated boy with Nazi ideology. He dreams of serving the "saviour", Adolf Hitler, and becoming his personal guard.

Jojo Rabbit is a comedy-drama film. But you will miss all the jokes. You will find the movie utterly bland. Unless! You read along. I have practically laid out everything you need to look out for.

#1 Characters

Besides Jojo in the lead, there are several major and minor characters. Although all eyes would be on Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) and Hitler (Taika Waititi), look out for Captain Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell). Paying attention to his performance will reveal what's "between the lines".

In its cleverly written screenplay, Jojo Rabbit is full of satire. The minor characters carry the satirical elements. Unfortunately, to the audience, they often seem unimportant. But, they are in the movie for a reason. Don't miss the fleeting moments of humour in their character.

"Over the next two days, you little critters will get to experience some of the things that the mighty German Army goes through every day. And even though it would appear our country's on the back foot and there really isn't much hope in us winning this war, apparently we're doing just fine!"

#2 Symbols

Besides the jokes that are delivered through dialogues, plenty of symbols are present throughout the movie. Symbolism is used to convey a deeper meaning. At the Jungenvolk, the children are given very "special and expensive" daggers. It has an immediate effect on Jojo, injecting him with a feeling of power. The knife will follow the storyline almost to the end.

To identify a symbol, try to develop an eye for detail. Symbols often appear on the screen repeatedly. I'll let you find other symbols in the movie. Think of it as a treasure hunt.

#3 Dance

It is Rosie who introduces dance first. For her, it's not just shaking limbs. Being able to dance is an expression of a profound sense of freedom. It defines her character, fearless, cheerful in the face of trouble, a romantic. And, these characteristics represent an idea, opposed to what Jojo believes. This causes a conflict for Jojo, and the movie portrays the process of its resolution.

Jojo: "What's the first thing you'll do when you're free?"

Elsa: "Dance".

#4 Irony

Taika Waititi has skillfully used humour to critique profound ideas. Irony simply is: saying something but meaning its opposite. Hitler was in no way friendly and empathic towards his subjects. But, in the movie, the Hitler you're watching is a product of Jojo's imagination. He likes to think that his 'Hero' is his 'best friend'.

Hitler is believed to have: not smoked and; a vegetarian in his later years. Offering cigarettes to children, however, is the perfect example of irony. If you're watching the movie with care, you'll catch other ironies as well.

Is the movie really worth your time?

Jojo Rabbit will run for an hour and 48 minutes on the screen. It also grabbed the best-adapted screenplay at the Oscars in 2020. In addition, it was nominated for best picture, best supporting actress (Scarlett Johansson), best production design, best costume design and best film editing.

The movie takes inspiration from Christine Leunens's 'Caging Skies', a French fiction novel. Director Taika Waititi wrote its screenplay too.

Jojo Rabbit rates 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.9/10 on IMDb.

Why did I like the movie?

Sheer cleverness had me. Adorable young children dreaming about glory at war, having mature notions like nationality and ethnicity. Besides the fact that the movie has a satirical tone and portrays a grim picture with childlike innocence, I realised how hilarious adults and their ideas can be.

Jojo is searching for who he really is. He's in the process of forming a worldview for himself. He is exposed to all the options. But, despite being just a child, Jojo makes his own decisions. Lives by his experiences. Faces the consequences. And accepts all outcomes.

Jojo Rabbit compelled me to rethink my world-view. I realised that the moment we begin settling down with a patterned thought process, our mind stagnates. And, stagnation rots even water. The movie taught me to be open to novel experiences.

The movie mentions an Austrian poet from Rainer Maria Rilke. The film ends with one of his quotes:

"Go to the Limits of Your Longing": "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final."

And, Yorkie. He stole the show for me.