Jojo Rabbit

This movie might just be my favorite movie of all time. That might sound like an extremely bold claim (especially for a comedy about Nazis), but trust me, I can explain. Taika Waititi is easily my favorite director present day. I’m a huge fan of the use of character quirks and Taika’s use of harsh reality for comedy, there is plenty of that in this movie. Every character in this movie serves a wonderful purpose, even some of the smaller characters.

Although only a secondary character, Captain K is probably the deepest character in the entire film. Although it’s not too obvious at first, it becomes clear that Captain Klenzendorf is not a Nazi. In fact, as someone on this subreddit pointed out, he has a paper clip in his front pocket, meaning he is part of a resistance. However, Taika Waititi made the creative choice not to focus on this, after all, we are following an indoctrinated child who is completely ignorant to a lot in the world around him. While one could argue that imaginary Adolf played the part of Jojo’s father figure, I think there would be a stronger argument on Captain K’s side. Jojo may not recognize him being as big of a part of his life until much later in the film. Captain K seems to care for Jojo a lot, but, will never be rewarded for the fact that he wasn’t “one of the bad guys.” Jojo probably won’t fully understand Captain K’s sacrifice until later in life, which is why Captain K is one of my favorite characters.

Then there are other characters playing the role of the father figure to Jojo, such as imaginary Adolf. The thing I love most about Imaginary Adolf is the way Taika’s portrayal progresses as Jojo gains an understanding. For example, the speech about being a grain of sand lost in a desert of insignificance (an actual Hitler speech) is completely different from the beginning of the movie where Jojo and Adolf are basically just really close friends. It’s hard for most directors to convey a change in children’s characters. Imaginary Hitler doesn’t only represent the world surrounding our protagonist in a comedic manner, but, Imaginary Adolf also represents the side of Jojo’s brain that has been flooded with Nazi beliefs.

It’s interesting that in a movie listed as a “comedy” we need the comedic relief character like Fraulein Rahm. Really, yes, she’s a very devoted Nazi and shows the mindset that almost everyone in Germany, not just children, were influenced by. However, a larger part of her character is to serve a very comedic purpose. I feel that her original ending in the script (which, if you like the movie as much as I do, read the script, there are quite a few changes that make it worth the read) where she dies under a house would have either ruined the continuous flow of her character’s tone if done dramatically or been out of place in the scene’s context if done comedically. Overall, I think that the ending they went with was much more fitting, making Fraulein Rahm one of the funniest characters in the movie.

The progression of Jojo Rabbit is done in such a way that, although each character is given their unique moment, it is all told well within the main story, and through the eyes of the protagonist. Jojo and Elsa, being the main characters, experience the most growth out of all of these characters. Obviously, Jojo learned of all the wrongs he has been taught, and that change is the center of the film’s plot. However, Elsa also goes through a change as well. Through her experiences with Rosie and Jojo, she starts to realize that there is hope. That is why we start to see the spirit of Rosie in Elsa near the end of the film, shown through the shoes. Which brings me to the wonderful symbolism in the film.

For example, there is some brilliant symbolism in my favorite scene of the movie, and maybe of any Waititi film. That scene is when “everybody’s gotta live” plays, and we see Elsa and Jojo grow closer. The way he uses smart editing of rotation to show the passage of time, along with being a touching and sometimes funny scene, shows everything I love about Taika and more. Watching Jojo Rabbit in theaters, seeing this scene is the precise moment that my eyes opened up to real film. But, that scene ends with a shot of Jojo and Elsa, close, looking out over Germany, which is a war ridden place in the middle of a bombing. Yet, they are able to find peace. I believe that it was to show the juxtaposition between the new and the old Jojo. Having a conversation with Elsa of this manner was a huge step for him, showing an air raid in the background is symbolic of them both looking at their past while talking about their future. Jojo is all too familiar with this type of war, but through talking with Elsa, he’s definitely becoming more peaceful in nature, and he’s able to discuss that while looking directly at his past. I hope this makes sense.

Taika Waititi’s movies are funny, beautiful, have great messages, and most importantly are relocatable. Often, Taika Waititi uses improv as one of his main directing techniques, this allows the actors on set to feel more relaxed, allowing a real read. However, in this movie, Taika Waititi wrote a brilliant script that allowed the actors to have a lot of fun reading it, which is really good for a movie. Scarlet Johanson’s portrayal of Rosie is a prime example of how good this movie is. Her performance as a mom supporting the anti-war campaign shows Jojo the truth. This is easily one of my favorite performances of the year. The movie doesn’t only offer the odd take on the WWII genre, but it is also a really solid story about a child’s forced growth and how he learns to love. From a child’s perspective, we see how easy it is to be brainwashed by an authoritative figure, which is a very relevant topic today. Taika Waititi’s portrayal of Hitler changes throughout the film to capture this. As Jojo realizes the truth of love, we are forced to reflect on how we view and treat others. The cinematography is simply incredible. Unlike the typical dull color scheme from WWII movies, Jojo Rabbit shows a brighter pallet only to fade into darkness as Jojo’s perspective changes. For me, just about everything in this movie is near perfection. The acting, the visuals, even the music by Michael Giacchino is surprisingly good. Overall, this movie gets a 10/10 from me. Taika Waititi’s masterful balance of comedy and drama really works here.

Taika Waititi is truly an incredible visionary director. He’s really good at cementing his characters and stories in reality. When we hear about the holocaust and WWII in today’s world, it seems like something out of a fictional movie. But, only when we see a fictional movie, we can actually relate to the characters and relate to what’s happening. It’s honestly ironic. But, yeah, I love Taika Waititi. He did a wonderful job with this movie, and I think Jojo Rabbit will be one of my favorite movies moving forward as well. The movie touched me in a way no movie has before, I think that this really is the start of a newfound love for movies. I’d recommend this movie any day, watch it. Watch it now! That’s an order, but not in a strict authoritative, dictator-esque, way…

Where can I get “Jojo Rabbit?”: As of now, it is only on HBO Max, but you should buy/rent it… it’s worth it.