JoJo Rabbit
“JoJo Rabbit” doesn’t play things nearly as dark or as biting as you might want it to, but Taika Waititi still puts a unique and irreverent spin on the notion of Nazism, and nationalism, that is much appreciated. If this is satire, it’s gentle and good-natured silliness, even if it has a serious idea at it’s core. I can see if this isn’t some people’s cup or tea, or if people wish Waititi went further in his approach; I’m just glad there’s a film out there that I can enjoy, while also pointing to and saying, “That’s an important movie teens should probably see, and can see.”
Waititi is adapting a book by Christine Leunens, which tells the story of a young boy, JoJo (Roman Griffin Davis), who is a fervent member of the Hitler Youth during WWII. He is one of Hitler’s “true believers,” so much so that he spends a lot of his time talking to an imaginary version of Hitler, played by Waititi himself. When we first see him, he is going off for a weekend of training so that he can be ready to fight for Nazi Germany, when called, but after a grenade explosion that has left his face deformed, he finds himself simply doing mail delivery and hanging up posters for the SS while his mother (Scarlett Johansson). One day, he hears something in the attic, and when he investigates, he finds a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) hiding in the walls; his mother is keeping her safe. What is a true believer to do in the face of what they’ve been programmed to hate? What if they’re 10?
As the film begins, I felt like Waititi might have taken some inspiration from Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” in how he portrayed both the Hitler camp, as well as the Nazi officers (played by Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson and Alfie Allen) running it- I loved the absurd energy, especially after the opening plays like “A Hard Day’s Night,” and is even set to “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.” We get a firm grasp on the individual of JoJo in those early scenes, both in his interactions with “Hitler” as well as what happens at the camp- he truly believes in the ethos of Nazism, but he also is a 10-year-old whom cannot hurt a rabbit, which earns him the derisive nickname the film’s title comes from. The rest of the film is about testing JoJo, both his blind belief in Nazism, as well as his humanity when he meets Elsa, the girl hiding in his home. I don’t doubt that Waititi could go more hard-edged in his satirical approach to the film, but I think by making it gentler, more innocent, it’s a smarter choice, because if teens and pre-teens were to see it, I feel like it’d be easier for them to process because of the emotional journey JoJo goes on. The film is about deprogramming hate, and how the only way to truly do that is through acceptance, and a desire to understand those whom are not us. I love the dynamic between JoJo and Elsa (and Davis and McKenzie are fantastic), and watching the way the two characters start, and how they end up, is one of the most satisfying things about the film. What’s interesting is how we come to realize that JoJo’s acceptance of Nazism comes not from his parents but from voices outside his home; I wonder how JoJo would have been if his mother (beautifully played by Johansson) would have been more open about her opposition to Hitler, but then again, in Nazi Germany, to dissent against Hitler meant death, so her silent opposition was a means of protecting both of them.
Gradually, his interactions with Elsa start to wear down his blind belief in the propaganda of the Party, although he still finds himself talking to Hitler, even after he’s been told the real Hitler has killed himself. Waititi plays the fuhrer in JoJo’s head like a buffoon, like the imagination of a 10-year-old boy who wants to meet his hero, and be accepted by his hero. It’s not the wrong choice for this film; this Hitler is seen as being the perspective of a 10-year-old mind whose never actually met Hitler, and too young to really grasp the horrors of what Hitler wanted to do. The film has JoJo and other Nazis espousing the absurd, dehumanizing ways Jews have been demonized by those whom have hated them over the years have spoken, but I don’t think Waititi is trying to make light of the Antisemitism the Jewish people have been met with over the years, but pointing out just how absurd those notions are, and how believing them makes you sound crazy. At one point, JoJo asks Elsa to draw a picture of where Jews live, and she draws a picture of JoJo’s head; the idea is simple and clear- our hate for others only resides within ourselves. It’s easy to see why that gets JoJo riled up; Elsa is calling him out on what he believes, and saying it only comes from within. The way he transforms through the film, and gets to the point where he kicks his Hitler out the window, is immensely satisfying.
There’s a moment late in the film where JoJo is on the streets. War has come to Germany, and everybody is having to fight off the Allied forces. He finds one of his friends in the streets, who is still fighting. JoJo tells him about Elsa. His friend’s reaction? “The Jews don’t matter. We have the Russians on the way. They drink the blood of babies.” I’m paraphrasing, but the point is obvious- hate is easily transferable from one group of people to another, depending on the moment. For those with hate in their hearts, they’ll always find someone to hate. One day, it’ll be the Jews. The next, it’ll be the Russians. The next, maybe Muslims. For JoJo, that cycle ended because he was given a chance to learn, and grow. That’s a great lesson for a film, especially a comedy, to put out in the world.
