The "Jojo Rabbit" Teaser Promises to Satirize Hatred with Promising Results

Scene from Jojo Rabbit

A few years ago, director Taika Waititi broke out internationally with the vampire parody What We Do in the Shadows. The film spawned a TV show and lead to him directing now two Thor movies for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While he has a lot on his plate, there's nothing that sounds more appealing in his career than his next film Jojo Rabbit. For better or worse, it's a film that looks to satirize Nazism by featuring a boy who imagines his best friend is notorious dictator Adolf Hitler. It's already a staggering film by description, and it doesn't take more than brief glimpses into the imagery to find the absurd premise fairly delightful. The trailer, billed as a "satire on hate," is planning on being one of the boldest films of the fall season, and one can't help but wonder if this takes Waititi into the Oscars circles, especially if it's as off-kilter as the minute-long footage.

It's admittedly difficult to confront the idea of Hitler in the 21st century. Even with his death spanning over a half-century, his negative impact on the world remains taught in classrooms and gave birth to the History Channel. He is by no means someone to admire, but his horrifying impact continues to be felt thanks to recent riots in Charlotteville, SC and around America as well as the president embodying fascistic tendencies. He's unfortunately still relevant and reflects the worst of humanity in ways that need to be fought. To make too light of him risks trivializing all that he did to make the world a worse place. It's why World War II dramas remain so popular, as they reflect a unity against evil. 

With all of that said, there have been plenty of decent satires about Hitler in the years since. Among the most noteworthy is Mel Brooks' The Producers (and pretty much any Mel Brooks movie) and To Be or Not to Be. There haven't been many in recent decades to think to challenge him in a comical way. It's what makes Jojo Rabbit both exciting and the most dangerous film of the fall. The one advantage is that Waititi's track record has been mostly positive and his stance against evil has been publicly known for awhile. Even at the San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend, he was quick to embrace Thor characters as being queer. There's little to suggest that he will do the concept wrong, though he has a giant wall to climb.

Check out the trailer below:

It looks fairly entertaining. Here's the plot description according to IMDb:

A young boy in Hitler's army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

In a recent interview, Waititi noted that he did zero research on Hitler for the film because he was an awful human being. It kind of shows, as he chooses to play him as more of a flamboyant figure instead of the arrogant figure of power. He's a childlike friend who tries to inspire his friends to get over his problems. It's fairly whimsical, not unlike a Wes Anderson film. Considering that there's more slapstick in it, one can expect the film to get really absurd really quick. Though the question is how exactly it will do anything with it that's effective and satirize hatred. Right now, it merely looks crazy to see kids in Hitler youth uniforms while jumping into a pool. It's an odd sight to take, and as a teaser, it's more a chance to see Waititi's inaccurate portrayal of Hitler. 

One can hope that it's hiding something more in store. There has to be, especially given the controversial subject matter. Is it just a comical take on Apt Pupil? One can hope not. It's a satire that's likely to expound endless think pieces, provided that it's really good. It's a comedy, as evident by the tone, and if the execution works it can see Waititi getting a Best Original Screenplay nomination. It all depends on how things play out, and what discourse it's likely to acquire. Odds are that it will be one of the best original films of the fall season, though there's nothing guaranteed at this point. All we know is that Hitler is a petty guy who hangs around kids here. Hopefully, the satire is not going to get lost on audiences and that it hits hard. Only time will tell, and hopefully, it produces something fruitful, especially with such a strong supporting cast.