Taika Waititi’s follow up to Thor Ragnarok has been aggressively marketed as a Anti-Hate Satire, trying to persuade audiences to see what appears on the surface, a goofy movie making fun of Hitler and Nazi’s. What the trailers and ads cannot sum up in a succinct manner is the heart of the movie, which focuses around Jojo, a naive Nazi fanatic, and Elsa, a jewish girl who Jojo’s mother hides in their home, unbeknownst to Jojo.
While the movie starts out lighthearted, poking fun at Nazi’s in outlandish ways, there hits a very sudden and disernable point in the movie, where the fun halts and you realize that the movie might not be all fun and lighthearted as it appeared.
Taika masterfully adds humor intermittently to keep the film from being overly depressing, but also recognizes when a scene needs to be left alone. While the marketing focuses a lot on Jojo’s imaginary friend Hitler, played by writer and director Taika Waititi, he is not a main character in the film. The addition of Hitler is the perfect device to get inside and personify what is inside Jojo’s mind and how he evolves throughout the movie.
I highly recommend Jojo Rabbit as it is both funny and beautifully written. I believe there is something for everyone in this film as casual audiences will enjoy the humor and movie buffs will like the well crafted narrative and themes.
If you enjoy Jojo Rabbit, I’d encourage you to watch Taika Waititi film, Hunt For The Wilderpeople. Another that comes to mind is another satirical period piece by Yorgos Lanthimos called The Favourite.
