By Bill Friedell
In a recent interview, Todd Phillips, director of Joker (2019) stated that the current culture we live in has killed comedy films. Taika Waititi’s newest film Jojo Rabbit (2019) stands as a direct refute of this sentiment, delving into an unlikely source of comedy; Nazi Germany. But Waititi isn’t interested in just making a controversial comedy, he’s interested in dismantling Nazi hatred and policy. It deconstructs the machine of propaganda, fear and hate and how it can be overcome.
Jojo Rabbit tells the tale of a young Hitler Youth named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis), who wishes to join the Nazi soldiers at war and become part of Hitler’s guard. He also has an imaginary friend named Adolf (Taika Waititi) who encourages Jojo on his quest. However, due to an injury at camp, he returns home early and discovers that his mother (Scarlet Johanson) is hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie). At a stalemate with each other, Jojo learns that the information he’s been given about Jews was wrong, causing him to rethink his loyalties and what he believes is right.
All the performances given in this film work both comedically and dramatically. Taika Waititi’s portrayal of Adolf was the most impressive as it balances both comedy and drama in a really effective way. He starts out incredibly funny, like all of his performances, but as Jojo begins to lean away from Nazi ideology, he leans more into the real life Adolf Hitler’s mannerisms, shouting more and taking on a more authoritative demeanor. It’s a synecdoche of the entire film, representing the tonal balance Waititi is attempting. Scarlet Johanson also impresses, giving a warm, life loving presence, embodying Waititi’s thesis statement that life is precious and worth celebrating. Roman Griffin Davis and Thomasin McKenzie ultimately ground the film with their performances. McKenzie delivers a performance with resilience, wit, and a sense of barely holding on. Davis acts as the perfect POV character as we see the world of Nazi Germany through a boy’s eyes and how his new experiences forge him into the person he will become, both growing and gaining something that was once thought lost.
Jojo Rabbit tells the tale of a young Hitler Youth named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis), who wishes to join the Nazi soldiers at war and become part of Hitler’s guard. He also has an imaginary friend named Adolf (Taika Waititi) who encourages Jojo on his quest. However, due to an injury at camp, he returns home early and discovers that his mother (Scarlet Johanson) is hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie). At a stalemate with each other, Jojo learns that the information he’s been given about Jews was wrong, causing him to rethink his loyalties and what he believes is right.
All the performances given in this film work both comedically and dramatically. Taika Waititi’s portrayal of Adolf was the most impressive as it balances both comedy and drama in a really effective way. He starts out incredibly funny, like all of his performances, but as Jojo begins to lean away from Nazi ideology, he leans more into the real life Adolf Hitler’s mannerisms, shouting more and taking on a more authoritative demeanor. It’s a synecdoche of the entire film, representing the tonal balance Waititi is attempting. Scarlet Johanson also impresses, giving a warm, life loving presence, embodying Waititi’s thesis statement that life is precious and worth celebrating. Roman Griffin Davis and Thomasin McKenzie ultimately ground the film with their performances. McKenzie delivers a performance with resilience, wit, and a sense of barely holding on. Davis acts as the perfect POV character as we see the world of Nazi Germany through a boy’s eyes and how his new experiences forge him into the person he will become, both growing and gaining something that was once thought lost.
The center of the film is Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) better understanding Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), which forces him to confront the ideology he has idolized.
The most impressive feat of the film has to be the tonal balance of the film, dealing with the atrocities of Nazi Germany while also being a comedy. If handled wrong, the film wouldn’t work, but Waititi knows where to direct the comedy at; the Nazis and their ideology, never making fun of the Jews or other victims of the Nazis at their expense. The comedy serves a purpose to the overall themes of the film. It deconstructs the machine that creates a society that would support a racist, fascist regime that is on the verge of collapse. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t dramatic moments. One such dramatic moment is when Jojo and his mother witness a group of people hung dead in the streets. The fact that these elements never clash is a strength of Waititi’s writing and directing.
It’s built on a society of lies and disinformation in order to insight blind hatred. One brilliant sequence that beautifully illustrates this is the use of archive footage of Hitler and his rallies as the Beatles song “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” is sung in German plays, showing the fanaticism of Hitler as a celebrity with a fanaticism similar to the Beatles. The Hitler Youth Camp also illustrates this point, not only showing the radicalization of young children, but also showing the childishness of the Nazi ideology, but is then turned on its head as the climax shows the desperation to throw bodies at their enemies, forcing the Hitler Youths inhabiting the roles of soldiers. The image is satirical and silly, but Waititi’s framing of this idea punches you in the gut as you see Jojo’s dream become a reality, but is now horrified due to his new perspective
It’s built on a society of lies and disinformation in order to insight blind hatred. One brilliant sequence that beautifully illustrates this is the use of archive footage of Hitler and his rallies as the Beatles song “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” is sung in German plays, showing the fanaticism of Hitler as a celebrity with a fanaticism similar to the Beatles. The Hitler Youth Camp also illustrates this point, not only showing the radicalization of young children, but also showing the childishness of the Nazi ideology, but is then turned on its head as the climax shows the desperation to throw bodies at their enemies, forcing the Hitler Youths inhabiting the roles of soldiers. The image is satirical and silly, but Waititi’s framing of this idea punches you in the gut as you see Jojo’s dream become a reality, but is now horrified due to his new perspective
Jojo Rabbit is a beautiful and hilarious coming of age story that ingeniously uses humor and drama to tell a story of loving life rather than stewing in hate while not coming off as oversimplistic. The performances, both dramatically and humorously work towards Waititi’s direction and delivers one of the funniest and poignant films of the year.
Works Cited
“Jojo Rabbit.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 24 Oct. 2019, www.imdb.com/title/tt2584384/.
Wanshel, Elyse. “'Joker' Director Todd Phillips Said He Left Comedy Because Of 'Woke Culture'.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 2 Oct. 2019, www.huffpost.com/entry/joker-director-todd-phillips-woke-culture_n_5d94e1c2e4b0019647b28793?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABjq7Zp4gRsO99LrfM9KU7eiMQ1oTEQswMJXMgWJp2P7ULUVXINHNdSo72JPRCs-zfvso_Zlc8u1V8VC_8DqiOxDc0MTney8fEURff6Fapz9CFFIoWzmi1FwXpCaVwliIbvFnvjZdBsEMQ3vjpFfLBIC4YuV2izOVQ7m9wJ9OcYo.
Works Cited
“Jojo Rabbit.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 24 Oct. 2019, www.imdb.com/title/tt2584384/.
Wanshel, Elyse. “'Joker' Director Todd Phillips Said He Left Comedy Because Of 'Woke Culture'.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 2 Oct. 2019, www.huffpost.com/entry/joker-director-todd-phillips-woke-culture_n_5d94e1c2e4b0019647b28793?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABjq7Zp4gRsO99LrfM9KU7eiMQ1oTEQswMJXMgWJp2P7ULUVXINHNdSo72JPRCs-zfvso_Zlc8u1V8VC_8DqiOxDc0MTney8fEURff6Fapz9CFFIoWzmi1FwXpCaVwliIbvFnvjZdBsEMQ3vjpFfLBIC4YuV2izOVQ7m9wJ9OcYo.
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