"Jojo Rabbit" Has a Lot on His Mind

It's less useful to ask what kind of movie "Jojo Rabbit" is, or what it's about, than to ask who it's made for. Taika Waititi's comedy about Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis), a ten year-old member of the Hitler Youth who idolizes Adolf Hitler, sounds pretty dodgy at the outset. However, as you get to know Jojo, living in Nazi Germany during the waning days of WWII, it becomes clear that he isn't really a Nazi at heart. He's just a scared, lonely kid who has been fed a lot of propaganda, and has latched on to an ideology that promises him glory and respect. In short, Jojo is perfectly sympathetic and redeemable, and the kind of character worth some consideration in the age of Neo-Nazis and the Alt-Right.

We first meet Jojo and his pal Yorki (Archie Yates) at a Hitler Youth training camp being run by the disgraced Captain Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell) and his underling Freddie Finkel (Alfie Allen). Jojo is supposed to learn to be a Nazi soldier, but only succeeds in hurting himself and earning the humiliating nickname "Jojo Rabbit." His mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) doesn't mind his failure, as she doesn't like the Nazis and we soon learn that she's secretly harboring a teenage Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), in the attic. When Jojo discovers Elsa, he's mortified, believing all Jews to be monsters. The only one he can confide in is his imaginary friend, a goofy version of Adolf Hitler played by Taika Waititi himself.

At first the movie is almost purely comedic, taking place in a heightened version of Nazi Germany as seen from Jojo's point of view. The opening sequence sets images of Nazi propaganda to sounds of Beatlemania, and Jojo's room is plastered in Nazi imagery as though it were sports memorabilia. Jojo's camp counselors are bumbling losers, but Jojo sincerely believes their nonsense, like Jews having horns and being able to read minds. The humor is light, poking fun at how silly the Nazi ideology is, and Jojo's angst about missing out on the war. The kids get into wacky hijinks and Waititi can never seem to resist a good visual gag. However, as the story goes on and Jojo becomes more enlightened, it gets darker and darker, finally culminating in a terribly poignant ending.

The tonal balance between the silly and serious sides of the movie is impressive. Early on, I was worried the film was treating the Nazis with too much irreverence, even if it was from an innocent child's perspective. Then more serious elements are introduced through Jojo's relationships with his mother and Elsa. And this is the crux of what the film is trying to do. Jojo only learns his viewpoints are flawed because Elsa is willing to talk to him and engage with him. His mother is more secretive, but never stops loving him or trying to protect him. These sections of the film have their moments of humor and absurdity - Elsa is initially very hostile and willing to exploit Jojo's fear of Jews - but they also have the warm affection of real, grounded human connection, commonly found in Waititi's best work.

The ensemble here is amazing. Roman Griffin Davis is a great discovery, playing a wide-eyed, deeply insecure kid navigating a very confusing world. He's able to sell both the wild comedic scenes and the quieter conversations with equal conviction. I was especially impressed with him playing straight man to Waititi's ridiculous Hitler. His reaction shots alone are worth the price of admission. I also adore Archie Yates as Yorki, who is essentially a mini version of Nick Frost, and perfect comic relief. Scarlett Johanssen gets one of her better roles here as Jojo's mother, getting a chance to really be charming and funny for the first time in too long. And then there's Thomasin McKenzie, who is very good at deploying Elsa's annoyed older sister vibes and successfully avoids being too maudlin or precious.

There's a criticism to be made that Jojo's deprogramming happens too easily, that the film is too simplistic in its satire and blunt in its messages. Some will surely be turned off by the aggressively modern humor and language. Most of the actors have British accents, and Hitler is played by a self-described "Polynesian Jew." However, we come back to the issue of who "Jojo Rabbit" is made for. It's not the usual, older audiences for WWII films, but the kids like Jojo who might become enamored of Nazi ideology in the present day. And it's for those of us who interact with them, who might be tempted to write them off or treat them badly. Above all, "Jojo Rabbit" is a film I admire for promoting empathy and hope for the lost and misguided.

And for that priceless German shepherd joke.
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