Jojo Rabbit

This is a film I've been told to watch for what seems like an eternity, and yet, for some reason I put it off for so long, I completely forgot about it. But when deciding what to watch as my 50th film of the year, I wanted to pick something good. The two films I'd picked randomly (1992's Porco Rosso, and 2019's First Cow) just didn't cater to the mood I was in, and so I scrolled through my watchlist until I got to the bottom; and that's where I found Jojo Rabbit (2019) waiting for me to finally watch it. And holy shit, what a perfect 50th film this was. Firstly, I was incredibly impressed by the performances in this film. Scarlett Johansson was obviously really awesome and gave a really dynamic and fun performance, but the three performances that stood out to me the most were those of Thomasin McKinzie as Elsa, Taika Waiti as Hitler, and the best of them all, Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo. Thomasin McKinzie is an actress I was familiar prior to this, but only through references here and there, so I wasn't expecting a particularly great performance, however she really gave it her all. There were so many scenes where the conveyed such raw emotion with just her facial expressions and eyes. It was an impressive subtle performance that went a long way when shaping her character. Taika Waititi is another actor in this film that really surprised me because as someone who's only ever known him as the director behind the best Thor film, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and the worst Thor film, Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)—and obviously Korg, I was surprised that he'd given such a good performance, but more surprised that he'd directed it and written it as well. It's important to note that the Hitler we see in this film isn't the real one—instead, it's the one inside Jojo's head who is funny, friendly, and can, at times, be just like the real Hitler. Taika emulated all these sides to this idiotic Hitler perfectly; during the start of the film he was incredibly funny and comical and was always spending time with Jojo as good friends do, but by the end, he'd transformed into the raging psychopath we know him to be. It was really interesting to watch unfold on screen and had me hooked due to his character's ingenuity. And then there's obviously, Roman Griffin Davis, the brilliant child actor who plays Jojo himself. I'm honestly never not impressed at a child actor giving a great performance because I think it requires a lot of skill, dedication and true love for it. Davis really delved into the character in a way that impressed me, seeing as though the character of Jojo doesn't really start out on the right side of history. I quickly became enthralled by this kid's level of acting, but it went through the roof once it got to the most impactful scene of the whole film. This may have been only his first film, but it's already clear that after a performance like this one, he's going to go far and I hope to see him in the future in many other projects. Secondly, this films premise itself is absolutely bonkers. Obviously, I loved it the premise very much, but going into this film with no information except for the fact that it was a satirical film about WW2 was not enough. In fact, the first couple of scenes, though highly entertaining, had me wondering what in the hell was going on. I almost thought it was going to be a film on just Jojo's time at the Nazi summer camp, but thankfully, it focused on something more purposeful. The premise, however, wouldn't've been possible with some goos humor, and oh boy did this film have it. It sn odd way, it reminded me a lot of *In Bruges* (2008) because in that film as well, it's almost wrong to laugh at some of the jokes in the film, but once you understand the point is to laugh at these things, it becones incredibly entertaining and very uniquely funny. One of the funniest things that I did not ever expect to laugh at in my life was how the greeting 'Heil Hitler' was used by everyone as a hi, or hello. It's such an absurd thing to find funny, but the way it was introduced was just so wild and uncalled for, I couldn't help but laugh. Another thing that made me laugh quite a bit, but also find endearing, were the interactions between Elsa and Jojo. Though they started out a little tense, and got pretty emotional at one point, for the most part it was pretty funny to see their dialogue and Jojo's efforts to get to know her for his book. This is definitely not the weirdest thing I've laughed at, but it's totally in the top ten and I honestly love it for that. Finally, there's the deeper theme of this film. Though 2019's Jojo Rabbit made me laugh a lot, it also made me cry a bit in a really powerful, symbolic and shocking scene that I won't spoil, but I'll just say that it's probably one of the most shocking and tragic yet artfully crafted scenes in the history of cinema. Beyond that, however, there's the deeper message of the film which is that villains aren't born, they're made. It's a message that's been explored in countless forms of media, but I feel like this film stands out because of its boldness. From the get go, it's not afraid to depict how Nazi children would've really acted back then, and even Jojo's slow growth as a character happens due to hard hitting and very real events that change his perspective and world view. It's a very vivid and brilliant exploration of this commonly used theme and makes this film one of my favorites of all time. Jojo Rabbit is a really funny, sweet, and powerful film that showcases its great performances and beautifully written story, all bound by an artfully explored message, so it should come as no surprise that this film is a high level four and a half star film across the board. Fuck off, Hitler! 4.5/5 **16 March 2025 chymp**