OnScreen Review: "Jojo Rabbit"
Ken Jones, Chief Film Critic
Hitler and Nazis. Not exactly synonymous with humor and comedy. Given the gravity of what happened in World War II and the genocide of the Holocaust, some people believe that it is wrong to make a comedy involving them. And yet, actor/writer/director Taiki Waititi chose this as his follow-up film after breaking through with mainstream success directing Thor: Ragnarok. Waititi is a gifted comedic mind, as anyone who has seen any of his work outside of Thor: Ragnarok well knows, so it’s not a surprise that he would do something unconventional as his next project. Jojo Rabbit is certainly unconventional, but also of a piece with some of his earlier films.
An adaptation of the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunen, Jojo Rabbit is set during the waning days of the Third Reich’s control over Germany. Allied Forces are making inroads into Europe and this are looking bleak in Germany. That doesn’t dissuade young Johannes “Jojo” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davies) from wanting to join the Hitler Youth. Jojo is raised by his mother Rosie (Scarlet Johansson) while his father is away fighting in the war. In his father’s place as a father figure is Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi himself), or at least the imaginary friend version of the German leader in the mind of a 10-year-old boy.
A mishap at a Hitler Youth Camp, run by disgraced army officer Captain Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell), results in injuries that limit his ability to contribute to the war effort. Reduced to spreading propaganda leaflets and collecting metal while still mending from his injuries, Jojo returns home early one day to discover that his mother has secretly been hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in a crawlspace in his deceased sister’s room. Jojo finds himself torn between his loyalties to his imaginary friend Adolf and the girl he starts to befriend that his mother is hiding.
It’s probably best to discuss the elephant in the room regarding this movie, which is the presence of Adolf Hitler as a prominent character in a comedy. There has been a significant debate around whether this is tasteful or appropriate subject matter, essentially to make Hitler funny. Perhaps it’s too nuanced in the view of some and a bridge too far for others, but for me they manage to get it right. Imaginary Hitler is hilarious, but mainly because he is a fool. One early scene has Hitler and Jojo throwing out multiple Heil Hitlers for laughs, but it also reveals an insecurity and neediness. Imaginary Hitler comes off as something of a court jester over the course of the movie, even though Jojo is somewhat blind to it because he starts off adoring Hitler. The end result, though, is a caricature that lampoons a real-life monster, which in my mind further undermines his image, which is still important to do when there are still neo-nazi groups out there in the world.
One talent that I think Waititi has shown, aside from crafting riotously funny humor, is an eye for casting talented child actors (see: Boy and Hunt for the Wilderpeople). It’s no different with Roman Griffin Davies as Jojo. Jojo’s personal journey is the heart of the story, progressing from an enthusiastic Hitler Youth to someone who is harboring a Jew in his own home that he befriends despite their constant clashing with one another. Comically, the moment of their first encounter plays out like a horror movie, with her descending the staircase like a ghost that is haunting his house. Davies and McKenzie have some very good, tough scenes together with a delicate mixture of humor, drama, hurt, and emotional weight and complexity. McKenzie is a very talented actress who wowed last year in Leave No Trace. She is going to be a star eventually.
Elsa’s presence also puts a strain on his relationship with his mother, given that she is part of German resistance and risking her life by doing what she believes is right. There’s a tense dinner table scene between Jojo and Rosie that is ultimately diffused by familial bonds being stronger than propaganda. Nearly every scene with Johansson and Davies is a delight and Johansson’s performance is a showcase of her talents as an actress that she doesn’t get to display as Black Widow or in Noah Baumbach’s heart-wrenching tale of divorce, Marriage Story. She is a fine actress.
The toughest balancing act of the movie lies in so much of the script making Hitler and his army look inept and foolish while still maintaining the real threat that they pose. Rockwell’s disgraced Captain’s failure was “Operation Screw Up” which resulted in him losing an eye. The Captain progresses through increasing levels of absurdity and camp over the course of the movie, and it’s strongly hinted at that he is a closeted gay man in a relationship with one of his soldiers, played by Alfie Allen, which would be verboten in Hitler’s Germany. What is slightly less funny is the threat of the Gestapo, whose local leader is played by Stephen Merchant, as they look to locate any hiding Jews and snuff out any underground resistance.
The film is an odd mixture of comedy and real-world tragedy, which is often a difficult tone. It’s tough to have an imaginary Hitler that is clown figure and balance that with the image of people hanging in the public courtyard by the Gestapo. I think that is why it is important that the main character is a 10-year-old. That is a perfect age for when a child or adolescent still has something of an imagination and is still a child, but there are hints of the real world and its grown-up consequences infringing.
Jojo Rabbit blends difficult real-world subject matter with laughter and heart for a bittersweet mix of a laughs, heartache, and love. It demonstrates the absurdity of Nazism by showing it in all of its Aryan absurdity. Maybe most importantly, it shows how shallow belief systems about peoples, politics, and nationalism can’t stand up to any real scrutiny in the face the reality of individual relationships of the people who make up the “other.”
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars