Review: Jojo Rabbit

Jojo Rabbit
Cert: 12A / 108 mins / Dir. Taika Waititi / Trailer



Adapted from Christine Leunens' Caging Skies, Taika Waititi screenwrites and directs Jojo Rabbit, a fantastical coming-of-age tale set in the dying days of the Second World War. In smalltown Germany, 10yr old Johannes Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) lives with his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansonn), his father already off fighting abroad in the conflict. An enthusiastic if inept member of the Hitler Youth, Jojo's rigid world is thrown into turmoil when he discovers Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), a young Jewish woman who's been hiding in their house. To make matters worse, his imaginary friend Adolf (Waititi) is growing increasingly erratic and unhelpful. We follow Jojo as he tries to make sense of his place in the world, in the war, and the propaganda he must now reconcile with what's in front of him.

Every so often, a film comes along which yearns to be watched. Jojo Rabbit's core audience of indie/arthouse appreciators is locked in anyway, but this story of defiance, doubt, acceptance, love and humanity needs to be seen by a wide audience in 2019. And as is typical, the very people who would benefit most from its message are the ones who either won't be interested, or will hit Stop and select something else once it becomes clear that the movie isn't just a goofy comedy as the trailer may have suggested. And yes, this paragraph is a bit soap-boxy (and not a little bit presumptuous), but here we are. In 2019. Where this is essential viewing.

Jojo Rabbit is adorable and horrifying in equal measure, but always razor-sharp in its satirical execution. Outstanding performances from the central cast elicit many guffaws and more than a few emotional hammerblows, and it's true that Waititi lifts every scene he's in from brooding whimsy to a surrealist pantomime.

Unlike Marielle Heller's imminent must-see, this isn't a film to make its audience feel better. It's a film to help them be better. It may be set three quarters of a century ago, but its heart is now. Even in the theatre of quasi-fantasy, Jojo Rabbit shows life being mundane, terrifying, hilarious and heartbreaking, exploring where those feelings intersect and overlap. Waititi doesn't lecture the audience, but he's got plenty to say. We should all listen.

Think The Way, Way Back meets The Book Thief meets The Death Of Stalin.



It is.



It is.



It could well be.



Well I have strong opinions about it, so...



I think I heard one buried in the mix when Yorki sets that RPG into the doorway, but let's err on the side of caution and go with no.



Level 1: IG-11 is in this.







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