Review: "Jojo Rabbit" Finds the Love in Provocative Satire

Scene from Jojo Rabbit

The most incredible thing about director Taika Waititi's World War II satire Jojo Rabbit isn't the attention-grabbing choice to cast Adolf Hitler as a Harvey-esque imaginary friend, but how the film uses it. By all historical accounts, Hitler is notoriously evil - so to cast him in a quirky comedy that's drawn comparisons to Wes Anderson feels a bit tone-deaf, especially in a decade where his ideals remain unfortunately prominent. However, that is to write off what Waititi is going for with this satire. This isn't an endorsement of Hitler, but more about how his ideas of hate can consume a society not wishing to go the extra mile for empathy. He's the flamboyant sidekick, childishly taunting his enemies and encouraging protagonist Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) to use mind control on his enemies. Waititi wants the ideas to be deconstructed in a way that draws attention to how silly they are, how they exist in a world full of delusion. It's a fine tightrope that should at least earn Waititi credit for making the boldest Oscar season movie in years. It may not have the sharpest teeth out for Nazism directly, but its choice to explore the growth of a child learning to understand the world makes this a clever tale full of heart and understanding, which the world needs more than ever.

From the start, Waititi is out to perform a stealth mission. The opening credits may be the first in history to feature The Beatles and Triumph of the Will footage playing in sync with each other as if Nazis were fans chasing Hitler in A Hard Days Night-style scenario. He's already subverting expectations, and it also comes with choosing to make every frame in the first act reminiscent of a Wes Anderson film. There's a regiment to the frame. The color scheme is so striking and storybook that it can't be real. By the time that Jojo finds himself at a youth camp where he's learning to use weapons (of which many kids quickly get injured), the audience feels like there's something odd going on. Yes, Hitler (played by Waititi) has technically already been seen pep-talking Jojo in his bedroom, but it breaks down so quickly into two friends trying to be cool that Waititi already is deflating Nazi imagery. Even then, this isn't a sign of Jojo trying to be an Anti-Semite. He just wants to have friends.

To have friends, he has no choice but to join the world around him, which is Third Reich Germany. While Waititi smartly casts comedic actors like Rebel Wilson and Stephen Merchant, the story has a dark undertone that makes the slapstick work more. The joke is as much the typical marginalization, but it's also the inconvenience of their convoluted beliefs. They are encouraged to burn books, and yet Jojo is seen with Hitler later in a library enjoying the joys of reading. Soldiers misunderstand orders, such as when one brings the wrong kind of German shepherds. Still, there is Jojo whose only friend is Yorki (Archie Yates), who also seems like he's out just to impress his peers. It helps to shift the view of the Nazi party from a group of hate to a group of bullies.

The film's title refers to such bullying, where Jojo is incapable of killing a rabbit. He runs off to cry, ashamed that he can't be as tough as his peers. It's one of many moments where Hitler reveals himself to be a mentor. As much as he symbolizes the worst in society, to Jojo he is an absentee father, or an idealized version of one anyways. He's fun and talks cartoonishly about overcoming fears. Still, without a sense of guidance, Jojo is stuck dealing with hate because he believes it's the only way. Not even his mom (Scarlett Johansson) can convince him otherwise. It's not until the film's second act, expertly introduced with Waititi shooting the scene like a John Carpenter attic scene, that the film reveals it's true intentions. As much as this is Germany and this is about a kid surrounded by swastika-wearing adults, it's about understanding not only what's right and wrong, but why it's important to understand those different from you.

Those who refuse to learn are the broadest characters, flailing with joy at the first sight of propaganda. They follow orders and aren't self-aware enough to know why repeatedly greeting people is awkward. The divide starts to form, Jojo forms a conscience, and it's here that the film becomes something greater. Waititi can't help but be funny, even if it's just how Hitler becomes a jealous friend spying on Jojo in public. He's the lingering beliefs that are being exhumed from Jojo, but which desperately wants to grab his foot as he's walking out of their life. What's ignored in marketing is that this film does get sad, presenting some stakes that actually remind audiences of the levity of war. It's why calling this a comedy seems a bit disingenuous. The humor is mostly used to establish satire, of which allows the hatred to be revealed for how hollow it actually is.

For what it's worth, Waititi has created a war movie like no other. What he has done is manage to explore something even bolder than the trite "Hitler bad" commentary that one could already assume. Instead, it looks at Jojo and his world through a childlike prism, allowing the broad humor to feel more representative of how he sees the world. It's why the direction feels perfect in a slight way. Everything looks nice, but there's an ugliness underneath that is slowly whittled at. All that becomes left is the reality that Jojo is a boy without life experience, forced to make up his mind for why he's attracted to such toxic ideas. Yes, Waititi has made a sympathetic Nazi movie. However, he's made something bold within this idea. It's the belief that people can change, that as long as one's allowed to stop the schoolyard bullying, they can understand why people are different, and it becomes sweet in the process. Waititi has done the unthinkable with Jojo Rabbit. He's made a satire that can be bold and silly. Most of all, it has a distinctive style and approach that reflects authenticity and personality that many satires these days (Joker) appear to be missing.

The best that can be said about Jojo Rabbit is that it's unlike any other film this decade. While some would argue that it doesn't go far enough in debasing Hitler, it feels like Waititi had a bigger point in mind. It's that the choice to give into hateful ideology is a choice, and those who do will look like fools in the end. Maybe some aspects of this film fall more into a wish-fulfillment, but the intent is pretty powerful in its simplicity. It's a satire that wants to tear down walls, reflecting how the world needs to stop and listen to each other, realizing that our enemies aren't monsters with mind control. They're humans like us, trying to get by in the world. Part of that came in making Hitler into a flamboyant caricature, but most of it came from exploring universal themes that were true 75 years ago and remain so today. For those willing to respect each other and listen, the world can hope to become a more joyful place.