Critical Recommendation: Jojo Rabbit

Never did I ever think that I would watch a comedy about a boy in the Hitler Youth whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler, portrayed by a Jew. And never did ever think I would enjoy and even love a comedy about a boy in the Hitler Youth whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler, portrayed by a Jew. And yet, here we are. In short, "Jojo Rabbit" is really, really good. It's colorful. It's whimsical. It's imaginative. It's heartwarming. It's heartbreaking. It's eye-opening. And it's a film I highly, highly recommend.

"Jojo Rabbit," based on the novel "Caging Skies" by Christine Leunens, is about a boy named Jojo Betzler, who is a member of the Hitler Youth during the final days of World War II. He's very loyal to his country and his cause. His entire life, all he's known is how Hitler brought Germany out of poverty and raised it up to be the great nation they are today. Never mind the world war and genocide that resulted because of it because even though everyone seems to be saying that the war should be over soon and that there really isn't much hope for Germany, things seem to be going just fine by Jojo's analysis. That is until a series of unfortunate events send him home with hand grenade injuries on his leg and face. Long story short, he's now relegated to the sidelines of the war and is feeling pretty down. Lucky for him, he's got a great mom, Rosie, and she's his "ooh-rah" moral support through all of these hardships. Maybe things will go back to the way they were, and perhaps that won't be such a bad thing, even if there won't be any glorious death in battle in the name of the Third Reich for Jojo. However, Jojo's life takes a turn for the insane when he discovers that his mother has been hiding a Jewish girl, Elsa, in their house. She's terrifying to Jojo and also really good at stealing knives from his mom's kitchen as well. So, being the good Hitlerite that he is, instead of backing down from a challenge, Jojo decides to write an exposé on Jews called "Yoo-Hoo Jew" with the help of his imaginary friend Hitler (I kid you not). However, Jojo didn't count on how much his perception of Jews would change the more and more he learned about Elsa. He never imagined that maybe they weren't the demons he had made them out to be.

There are a number of reasons as to why I love this film so much, and the first is the characterization. The acting is, of course, incredible, courtesy of an excellent cast with names like Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson on the list. But the characters in this film are all very distinct and surprisingly nuanced. Jojo is a character who's easy to root for. He's the underdog, the one who has to rise to the occasion. And even if he's a little Nazi, you can't help but root for him. You will want him to succeed, and this is because he's obviously very impressionable but has a good heart beneath it all. In the words of one of the characters, "You're not a Nazi, Jojo. You're a ten-year-old kid who likes dressing up in a funny uniform and wants to be part of a club." Jojo's mother, Rosie, absolutely steals every scene she's in. Even if Scarjo is an A-list actress, you can't help but see the character she's playing instead of the actress behind the script. She was incredibly dynamic and oftentimes hilarious. Imaginary Hitler is hilarious and goofy, reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin's Adenoid Hinkle from "The Great Dictator." And Thomasin Mckenzie dominates the screen as Elsa, giving a very nuanced and impressive performance that will assuredly satisfy even the harshest of acting critics. Villains? Anti-villains? Heroes? Not-so-heroic heroes? This film has them all, and the variety of character archetypes in this film was sublime to watch.

The second reason I love "Jojo Rabbit" is how insanely creative this film is with its visuals. Of course, you have the traditional World War II trappings here and there, but some other things you'll find are distinctive and memorable costumes and props, the likes of a cardboard suit designed to look like a metal-collecting robot. The cinematography of the film lends so much life to this story, and the visuals initially look outlandish, but as the film progresses, they become paler and more ordinary-looking as Jojo's impression of the world begins to change. Everything about this film feels motivated by character and also is, just plainly put, aesthetically pleasing. And this is refreshing in a world dominated by surface-level visuals that narratively accomplish nothing.

Of course, the film is also hysterically funny at times and surprisingly hard-hitting at others. I'm not really an "outward emotions" kind of guy when watching a film, but if I were, I would have laughed (actually, I did laugh a lot). I would have cried (didn't do as much of that). This is a film where you will not be able to help but care about the characters that are being portrayed on-screen, even if some of them are Nazis. That's the power of "Jojo Rabbit." Ultimately, I can't help but feel that this film was treated somewhat unfairly by a bunch of bubble-dwelling, easily-offended critics who didn't bother to even pay attention to the film before giving it a totally fair shake because it dared to be a film where the Nazis aren't all cackling maniacs who want nothing more but to drink the blood of innocent children or something. Of course, the film is still a condemnation of fascism, authoritarianism, and groupthink (duh), but it dares to approach its issues from the other side of the wire, and in doing so, offers us a perspective of World War II we've never really seen before. And the film invites us to do something unusual. It invites us to value life and, beyond that, to dance to show God that we're grateful to be alive. As Rosie puts it, dancing is for people who are free. Somedays, I feel like dancing.

Jojo Rabbit - 9/10

Mark 12:31