From guest reviewer allthingsreviewed_.
Unabashedly hilarious, challenging, and heartbreaking, Taika Waititi tackles much in this WWII coming of age film and for the most part, it worked.
JoJo Rabbit tells the story of young JoJo, a German boy who is blinded by the propaganda of Nazi Germany and has an imaginary Hitler as a friend. His Aryan world view is rocked when he discovers his mother is harboring a Jewish girl in the walls of his house. Knowing turning her in will result in severe punishment for his mother, he struggles as to what to do as the allied forces are closing in on his town.
Taika Watiti is a brilliant filmmaker. That much has been established with his filmography so far. His humor always finds its mark and here is no different. His portrayal of an imaginary Hitler was hilarious and truly felt like it sprang from the mind of a child.
This film is a satire however, and from that comes many dark and horrific themes. Sometimes they are handled in a breezily comic fashion and others are soul crushingly serious. And in many moments, these land effectively as well.
Scarlett Johansson in particular acts everyone else off of the screen whenever she is present. Her battle between loving her fanatic child and also being a part of the German resistance felt authentic. Her love for her child juxtaposed with her grief at his compromised mind was projected with precision. One scene taking place at dinner shook me with how well she performed. Another scene involving her character later in the film felt like an anvil dropped on my head with how it hit me.
However, for each well handled dramatic moment, there is an equal amount that simply did not mesh with the comedy. Synthesizing humor and drama is difficult and I do not envy the tightrope Taika had to walk here. Still, some moments involving JoJo and the young Jew hiding in his house struggled to find that balance between humor and drama, leaving me confused as to if I was supposed to laugh or be horrified. While I don’t want a film to tell me how to feel, Taika’s humor is distinct and when the film diverts from that, the gravitas it sought felt rushed and unearned at multiple points.
That being said, this is still a beautifully shot and acted film that made me feel something. Coming of age tales always effect me and this was no different. Despite its uneven execution, I still recommend checking this film out as it does espouse important themes and commentary on propaganda and blind loyalty, and the potentially irrevocable effects each can have on the youth exposed to it. 8/10
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