My Viewing this Stevening... 'Jojo Rabbit'

Following the roaring success of Taika Waititi's entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the form of Thor: Ragnarok, his next film was to take on something completely different, yet retain Waititi's familiar comic style; Jojo Rabbit. Adapted from Christine Leunen's book, Caging Skies, the film tells the story of Johannes 'Jojo' Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), a 10 year-old member of the Hitler Youth who discovers his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), is hiding a Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home. The hiding of this girl forces young Jojo to question his beliefs, all the while dealing with the interventions of his imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Waititi).

Although sitting at 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, granting it the 'Certified Fresh' rating, the film itself has proven remarkably - if unsurprisingly - divisive among critics. Most take issue with the tonal shifts in the controversial setting of Nazi Germany, yet others choose to take issue with the fact that Waititi's depiction of Nazi Germany isn't critical or more thought provoking enough in its content. One reviewer having mentioned the idea that as the film did not include any clear references to the Holocaust, then the other ideas or themes presented in the film are to be discredited as pointless. I think those reviewers are largely missing the point of the story Waititi intended to tell.

Jojo is, and was intended to be, a story mostly told through the eyes of a 10 year-old Nazi youth. The story of a kid who didn't really understand the ideology he was supporting, but was doing so in order to be accepted by his peers, and to ultimately be like the hero is pictured the Fuhrer as being. This is why there are no explicit mentions of the Holocaust, and the film itself tends to try taking a light-hearted approach, because this is the world seen through the perspective of 10 year-old Jojo. A kid whose innate compassion fundamentally conflicts with his pursuit of acceptance among the Nazi youth. Yet this pursuit of acceptance is satisfied by an unlikely source, in the Jew hiding in his attic. He chooses not to report it because it will get him and his mother in trouble, but as the film goes on, he comes to understand that the myths he was told by his idols have been lies, and comes to accept himself, and embrace his own compassion for others.

The tonal shifts are important as they allow for a portrayal of the grim reality of Nazi Germany, without sacrificing the wide-eyed hopeful vision of Jojo. In my view, the dark and the light moments throughout the film land perfectly and move you in ways you wouldn't really anticipate until it happens.

There are some excellent performances in Waititi, Johansson, and an extraordinary performance from young Davis. There are additional characters portrayed by Rebel Wilson, Sam Rockwell, and confusingly Alfie Allen, who serve to only really portray the Nazi adults as buffoonish and career-driven. In fact, Alfie Allen's character may have as well have been a mute as I don't recall a single line being spoken by the character.

Before I finish, I want to comment on one final thing, and that's Waititi as Hitler. He delivers some truly laugh out loud moments and the character is portrayed in a campy, cartoonish way that some may see resembles the performance of Hitler from Mel Brooks' The Producers. Some have taken issue with this, saying that it in effect makes light of a person like Hitler who, at his core, was cruel and evil. Again, I think this misses the point. The character in the movie is not supposed to be Hitler, it's supposed to be an imaginary friend of a 10 year-old boy in the form of Hitler. The character, in essence, is supposed to be a manifestation of young Jojo's subconscious thoughts and internal conflict, which I think is just so incredibly well done, and I think it's a shame that some have become so fixated on the misguided notion that the Hitler character in this was supposed to represent the truly evil nature of the real Hitler.

Anyway, I loved it, and if you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest that you'll love it too.

Score 9/10