Mario's Musings (Philadelphia Film Festival Edition): Jojo Rabbit

“We’re like you, only human.” 

I went to the Philadelphia Film Festival on Saturday to see Jojo Rabbit, directed by Taika Waititi. I love film festivals. Sure, I’m just going to see a movie, but the whole pomp and circumstance surrounding the movie is always a fun time. It’s why I love going to screenings as well, I enjoy seeing movies before the release, and there’s always an added perk on top of that like free merchandise. Plus, there seems to be a sense of community when going to screenings, like we’re all friends rather than a bunch of strangers seeing a movie together. 

The story of Jojo Rabbit rings especially true today. It’s a story of blind nationalism, never questioning authority, and having your entire worldview questioned. Taking a page from the Great Dictator and The Producers before it, it takes a look at the dark times of Nazi Germany with a humorous lens, but keeps a serious tone.

As for the story itself, Jojo is a lonely kid living in Nazi Germany, who idolizes Adolf Hitler to the point where he’s his imaginary friend (played humorously by Taika Waititi himself). Hitler is a source of confidence for the boy, to the point where even his mother (played by Scarlett Johansson) finds his love of Nazism to be fanatical. One accident later and Jojo is at home more often than before, and to his shock, finds that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in the walls of their house. This leads to tension with his mother, who he begins finding out more and more about, and in turn, finding out more about the people that everyone has been telling him are “the enemy” and “monsters”.

In today’s world, this is an important movie that everyone should watch. Are there laughs? Yes, but at the same time, it pulls back a curtain on the worldview many of us hold. The performances hold this film together even more, especially Sam Rockwell, who can seemingly do no wrong in my eyes. The child actors add a great source of levity to the flick, but turn on the drama when the scene calls for it, and boy, do some scenes really call for it. 

I’m a sucker for World War II films, so I highly recommend this. It’s The Great Dictator for the modern age with some Mel Brooks humor sprinkled on top of it.