[rating=9.00]
Taiki Waititi can seemingly do anything. Most widely known for being the man that injected new life into the Thor franchise with Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi made quiet waves throughout the comedy world for years before that mainstream breakthrough with his brand of dry absurdism. He made vampires hilarious with What We Do in the Shadows. He made childhood abandonment hilarious with Hunt for the Wilderpeople. There’s an undeniable heart to his style that finds the poignance in the least likely of places; rather than beat you over the head with it, he lets it wash slowly over you in a kind of emotionally rejuvenating slow drip of joy.
It’s not really a surprise that he pulls the same idea off in his latest film, Jojo Rabbit. What is surprising, however, is that he pulls it off in a movie about Nazis. “Emotionally poignant” and “hysterical” feel like strange word choices to use regarding a film in which Adolf Hitler, played by Waititi himself, serves as a comedic relief character but here we are. Jojo Rabbit is sublime in its innocence and frequently hilarious.
It also happens to be one of the more important films to be released this year. Jojo Rabbit is a film of profound thematic depth that forces us to consider the effects of blind nationalism and patriotism in a time when the world seems dead set on embracing these ideals. The line Waititi forces himself to walk is incredibly thin but his satirical impulses give him the balance he needs to traverse this precarious tightrope without falling.
We follow the life of young Hitler Youth member, Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis), who, at ten years old, has fallen completely under the thrall of the Nazi Party and wishes to play a part in his nation’s glorious future. This comes as a shock to his exasperated mother (Scarlett Johansson) who secretly works for the resistance and who has hidden a Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), in her house. When Jojo discovers the young girl he and his imaginary friend, Hitler, try to plan a way to get rid of the girl without his family getting into the trouble. Along the way, he finds his perspective changing.
So much of the film rides on the back of young Davis who, at just 11 years old, expresses a remarkable range and talent. On the one hand, he’s impossible not to like. He’s precocious and cute and funny and it’s hard not to immediately love him and want the best for him. On the other hand, he’s definitely a Nazi. As a fatherless boy, it’s hard not to feel for his want of a strong father figure and it makes a kind of sense that he would look up to Hitler even though his role model is, well, fucking Hitler.
Waititi, however, plays with this innocence to show his audience how radicalization works on the weakest among us. We know that young Jojo is merely corrupted and isn’t incapable of redemption. We can see that in his view of Hitler, who appears to the boy when he feels lost and in need of some fatherly advice or a quick pep talk. Waititi plays his role with a quiet restraint that serves only to increase the comedy. Their interplay is delightful and, yes, kind of adorable. Which is weird, I guess, given the Naziism of it all.
Their relationship is fascinating and profound, letting Waititi play with around in his satirical sandbox in such a way that it’s impossible not to root for Jojo’s redemption. We also see the insidious effects of propaganda and brainwashing on the minds of the youth as Jojo attends a Hitler Youth camp and runs errands for his local commander (a brilliant Sam Rockwell).
The real emotional meat of the film comes from McKenzie. Her performance in last year’s Leave No Trace was a real stunner and here she proves that it was no fluke. With Jojo Rabbit, McKenzie has proven herself to be one of the finest young actresses working today. She is electric as Elsa, who sees the good in the boy behind the swastika as she attempts to slowly coax him out of his fanatical haze. As Elsa she is cunning, coy, and vulnerable and the relationship she builds with young Jojo is captivating.
What Waititi has achieved here is remarkable. Jojo Rabbit is a film that feels both timeless and presently necessary. It reminds us to see the humanity in those we would call evil and to see the redemption that might be possible. It also reminds us of the potentially horrifying effects of blind allegiance which can color our perceptions of the world in subtle but terrifyingly consequential ways. While, yes, a few jokes fall flat and the film at times feels almost too twee for its own good, Waititi has once again proven what a magical filmmaker he is.
Jojo Rabbit is now playing in theaters everywhere.
