★★★
Jojo is a lonely German boy who discovers that his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his imaginary friend -- Adolf Hitler -- Jojo must confront his blind nationalism as World War II continues to rage on.
Classification: 12A
With a premise like Jojo Rabbit's nuance is key, like a fine tightrope act above a pool of hungry vicious alligators ready to devour you if one misstep is made. In this volatile political climate, a story that satirizes fascism, having the horrors of the Third Reich turned into comedy as the titular Jojo questions his Nazi loyalties alongside an imaginary Adolf Hitler needs to be handled with delicate care. Taika Waititi signature comedy and dramatic stylings are prevalent in this film but it does not reach the heights of his previous works Hunt for the Wilderpeople or What We Do in the Shadows. Waititi doesn't fall into the gator pit but he doesn't reach the other side gracefully, Jojo Rabbit stumbles most of the way despite the strong performances from the cast. Clumsy handling of the historical context, antisemitism of the period, and themes of love and hatred can make audiences feel deeply uncomfortable as Waitii's attempt at an "anti-hate satire" feels more like the cinematic equivalent of Donald Trump's "very fine people on both sides" comment.
Waititi in no way seeks to endorse fascism or play into the alt-right fantasies with his script adapted from Christine Leunens's novel Caging Skies, but the film is an unbalanced mix in how it addresses fascism's toxic hold. The story of Hitler Youth Jojo Betzler discovering and learning from Thomasin McKenzie's Jewish refugee Elsa has its potential, to show how foolish and stupid Nazi's all are and how their despicable attitudes towards Judaism and basically everything comes from uneducated bigotry. Scapegoating others in name of their cruelty and enacting sick depraved crimes for their own sense of deluded supremacy, Nazi's can go fuck themselves but its the question of redemption that leaves an uneasy feeling. Jojo for all his loveable qualities in Roman Griffin Davis' performance is a Nazi, a ten-year-old boy who gladly wears the brownshirt uniform, dreams of being in Hitler's personal guard and even has the Führer as an imaginary friend (we'll get to that later). His interactions with Elsa and his mother Rosie have Jojo's world views shift, the ridiculous prejudices he holds towards Jews (horns, scales, all manner of nonsensical fables commenting on appearance and avarice) and Nazi Germany, in general, begin to fade as he develops an envious infatuation with Elsa. The entire conflict of the film revolving around Jojo's world view rapidly changing because of his love triumphing over his hate but Waititi makes the transition feel more cynical than hopeful.
Jojo's realisations only come at the cost of other's sufferings, he can only evolve and break free from Hitler's clutches both spiritually and imaginary through the pain wrought towards others. It's his empathy that saves and enlightens him but Waititi is never able to have a consistent throughline to the whole journey. Empathy is the only way to see the true cruelty of the world but the reality of this film is so bizarre and twisted from our own that when our reality does seep in, it could feel like Jojo finally breaking free from fascism's hold but mostly it's just a tonal mess. The film struggles with the difficult questions of whether Jojo should be saved as you want Jojo to be redeemed, one less Nazi in the world and him being a child in all but can he be forgiven? and does his clarity make him deserving of the love and world he's discovered? I met a Holocaust survivor and his wife in late 2019 at a Q&A and when asked if they could ever forgive the Nazi's for their crimes and more specifically the civilians and children who blindly followed the regime, the wife responded "children no matter what, are always innocent" Jojo is oddly enough is both innocent and guilty, he doesn't truly understand what he is a part of but when presented with the harsh truth of it all, it is a heavy burden placed on the shoulders of someone whose innocence is ripped apart by the very ideology he built his childhood around. The fate that could await Jojo is cemented by history and it shall not be kind or forgiving and perhaps in Watiti's own hindsight, he asks whether the way forward should be in the opposite direction. Rather than submit to our hate towards the Nazi's and brutally kill them all is it possible to move forward and forgive them? or at least to not allow violence to fuel every action we have towards one another? Can we allow those like Jojo to learn and become better?
But there lies the problem as Waititi stumbles in his own optimistic messaging as he frames Jojo's redemption through complicated emotions of childish narcissism, toxic masculinity, and indignant rage all egged on by an odd apparition of Adolf Hitler (we're still getting to him). It's difficult to sympathise with Jojo on a dramatic level (an exception to one scene, the best in the film that plays it completely straight) because of the absurdity of the comedy within Watiti's script playing the Nazi's as pure farce, being a Nazi is not taken seriously in the film. It doesn't feel like a character becoming aware of the truth behind their own existence but a film that doesn't care about the importance to this language, imagery and history and would rather have the cast run around acting silly in SS uniforms as a way to just infuriate contemporary fascists. We should make fun of Nazi's, many films and television shows have done so before with great effect because every core belief that those goose-stepping cunts hold dear is so fundamentally stupid that anybody who would ever dare entertain the notion of agreeing with them should be hit with sticks, shoved in a sack and thrown off a bridge. However, Jojo Rabbit satirizes Nazi's and fascism in a way that makes the comedy so offputting that it makes most of the film uncomfortable to watch, they feel like cartoon characters and its all so absurd that when the drama unfolds particularly Elsa' storyline, antisemitism and the horrors of the Holocaust, it just feels distasteful to survivors of the period. There's no bite to this satire, the mockery is built from stereotypes but its more in the service of a ridiculous outlandish comedy than any striking commentary on the period. Waititi thinks himself clever in his approach, made all the more clear as he bursts into the frame at random intervals in full-blown Hitler garb but it's an awkward mess most of the time.
The world to Jojo Rabbit is very surreal, Wes Anderson-like in many places and every Nazi character feels like a hyperactive caricature. In his quest to humiliate these historical monsters (and by extension their modern contemporaries) Watiti loses the factual weight of the period. Bar a few incredibly emotional sequences mostly focusing on Griffin Davis and Scarlett Johansson's relationship as mother and son, when satire fades and harsh reality sets in, that is when the film shines with the beautiful realisation of Waititi's vision. One scene at the midpoint taking your breath away in how tragic Waititi captures the pain and cost to Jojo's ignorance and for one brief moment, everything works perfectly. It may be the best scene Taika Waititi has ever put to film and it's a damn shame that level of care was not present for the rest of the picture. It's the tonal inconsistency that mars so much of Jojo Rabbit as after this point Waititi continues to embrace the more outlandish comedy elements which keep diluting and undercutting the serious drama. One of Jojo Rabbit's greater contemporaries Armando Iannucci's satirical masterpiece The Death of Stalin has the moment where the film stops being funny, where Iannucci flips the switch and we see in stark horror, the consequences of the character's humourous bitter and selfish actions. Waititi has that moment here but he keeps flipping the switch back and forth afterwards, struggling in self-control as he doesn't seem overly comfortable addressing the truth to the history he otherwise can gleefully ridicule.
Simultaneously the cast makes all this chaotic, distasteful, yet frustratingly impassioned material both wonderful yet disastrous. Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, and Scarlett Johansson absolutely excel in their roles, creating great sympathy and conflict in the dynamic of the Betzler household as Jojo, Elsa and Rosie step around each other in what they truly know about one another. Roman Griffin Davis and McKenzie have a great cadence with one another, and Johansson radiates such love and beauty with her kindness and tenacity in the face of authoritarian oppression. On the other hand, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant and Taika Waititi's performances are so over the top as the oppressors, yes Jojo Rabbit is supposed to be the audience viewing Nazism through the eyes of a child but you can't truly let go of what you know about these people. Wilson and Merchant especially are so goofy that it takes you even further out of the film. Somehow this feels different from other parodies or satires, the whimsical nature of it all, the complete lack of grace and how the cruelty of these people is just played for a cheap hit or miss comedy.
Jojo's real-life mentors in the film, Sam Rockwell as Captain Klenzendorf and Scarlett Johansson as his mother Rosie represent the two sides to Jojo's development; the blind fanaticism and loving nurturing. Klenzendorf a flamboyant but repressed homosexual, an obvious foreshadowing for Jojo's fate if he continues in fascism's grip; a man who submits to fear and must hide who he is and what he wants from the whole world. Rockwell's performance is caught in the middle of the graceful empathy and maddening stupidity and again feeds into the uncomfortable question of forgiveness. Klenzendorf is not a child, he knows truly what he has agreed to serve yet Waititi presents him as a sympathetic character, with this idea of generational sacrifice also plays through the film. If Rosie, Klenzendorf, and the rest of the adult characters can acknowledge their mistakes they won't be able to save themselves but perhaps they could save Jojo before he fully submits to making the same choices they did.
Jojo and Elsa's relationship with one another is contentious at best, their friendly connection that forms through Jojo's desires actually blossoms from natural empathy and kindness. The two connect through their pain and fears, they become the only people they can be themselves around but Jojo Rabbit makes Elsa's identity and agency an afterthought to Jojo's own storyline. The foolish mockery of Judaism and the acknowledgements of the hurtful stereotypes in the film are played for laughs with Elsa even adding on to it to mock Jojo for believing such things. Judaism and antisemitism just feels like an afterthought in the film, Waititi wants it both ways, he wants to satirise and condemn these beliefs at the same time but it never finds the right flow, it's not even a case of Jojo Rabbit being too daring and shocking for audiences, everything about the handling of these storylines just feels misguided. The visual storytelling Waititi utilises in places is far more effective, subtle framing of a character's shoes to the reunion of Jojo and childhood friend Yorki (scene-stealing Archie Yates, he's adorable) as both wear cardboard clothing. Production design captures the fascist regime well, Ra Vincent's work in depicting the Battle of Berlin is able to capture the disastrous carnage of war in such a small space. Costume design as well thrives, not only with Johansson's impeccable wardrobe but one of my favourite details is how the film makes the Nazi uniforms so unflattering. The clothes are baggy, ill-fitting and look ridiculous on most of the actors especially Waititi and that faint yet deliberate choice shows how Jojo Rabbit is a bizarre amalgamation of good and terrible ideas.
Now let's get to him, the moustached elephant in the room who rears his head every time Jojo has an ounce of character development. Adolf Hitler, the imaginary friend of sweet little Jojo Betzler is the worst element to Jojo Rabbit, an addition of Waititi's own design so much so that he decided to play the ridiculous character himself completely derails the film every time he appears. It breaks immersion, undercuts dramatic stakes and never fully works in tandem with the rest of the film, it's just a gimmick for Waititi, a Polynesian Jewish man to put on a funny costume and piss off some racists and that's all it feels like. The metaphor for it all is obvious, the childish admiration Jojo has for Hitler and in a few moments, you feel that the idea is to have this goofy friendly facade crumble alongside Jojo's redemption where he and the audience will see Hitler's true nature. It doesn't unfortunately, Waititi gets angry in one scene but never fully commits to the horror of Hitler's wrath, the film wants to be about Jojo discovering and confronting the reality of fascism but then Waititi himself doesn't commit to portraying it.
I understand what Waititi is going for, his message of love and kindness triumphing over hate and fascism is admirable but the execution is lacking, almost careless especially when considering the larger historical contexts to Nazi Germany and the content of Leunens's novel. Its feels like whiplash most of the time, tension building within you as dread the moment Waititi is gonna fall off the tightrope and cross the line in a way that just repulses you and makes you regret ever giving the film a chance. That moment never comes at least not for me, I don't share generational pain to this time period, I will never fully understand what it means to survive this but Jojo Rabbit did make me feel uncomfortable with how it depicted fascism and forgiveness. It's still an interesting film, admirable in its ambition but harmful in its execution, time will judge this film better than I ever will so perhaps all we can do is wait and see if imaginary Hitler holds up in the long run.
Director: #TaikaWaititi
Cast: #RomanGriffinDavis, #ThomasinMcKenzie, #TaikaWaititi, #RebelWilson, #StephenMerchant, #AlfieAllen, #SamRockwell, #ScarlettJohansson
Release Date: January 1st 2020
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images from the Internet Movie Database, Synopsis from Google
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