Starring Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, and Taika Waititi
Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures
Running time: 108 minutes
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, violence, and language.
Among the many movie portrayals of a hero in times of war, few are as distinctive as Taika Waititi’s 2019 comedy/drama Jojo Rabbit. Set in Germany during the Allied liberation of the country, the story revolves around the fanatical Johannes Betzler, aka “Jojo,” a ten-year-old boy witnessing the desperate final resistance of the Nazi regime in his hometown. The movie, with visually stunning cinematography and seamless transitions between comedy and drama, explores fanaticism, indoctrination, and innocence in one of history’s darkest periods.
Jojo is a naive, sweet boy who wants to fit in and become a hero. Raised under heavy influence of the Nazi propaganda machine, he ardently idolizes Adolf Hitler, even dreaming up an exaggeratedly effeminate version of the dictator to serve as his confidante and best friend. Yet, beneath the aura of fanaticism is a boy with many healthy values, and his experiences soon lead him to question everything he thinks he knows about life.
One thing that sets the film apart is its divergence from portrayals of WWII that center on the bold deeds of soldiers or resistance fighters who turned the tides of the war. In fact, the movie’s setting is perfect for a story about such a character: Toward the end of the war, while Germany is facing imminent defeat and the disintegration of the Nazi regime, and soldiers are coming home wounded and devastated by the horrors of the battlefield, Jojo is preparing to become a savior of Nazi Germany. The very first scene depicts his determination to do so:
Adolf: Now, Jojo Betzler, what is your mind?
Jojo: A snake mind.
Adolf: And Jojo Betzler, what is your body?
Jojo: A wolf body.
Adolf: And Jojo Betzler, what is your courage?
Jojo: Panther courage.
Adolf: And Jojo Betzler, what is your soul?
Jojo: A German soul.
Adolf: Yeah, man, you’re ready.
But as things progress, we see that Jojo’s story will not fulfill his initial aspirations. The events of the war unfold as if Jojo never existed. And we see that nearly every character in the movie would have had the same fate regardless of Jojo’s actions.
Nearly everyone except Jojo, that is. His heroism is in shaping his own character into something commendable—in a society in which this is almost impossible. Jojo’s path is one of self-discovery and personal growth, questioning and rethinking his core beliefs, and overcoming the irrationality and propaganda with which he was raised.
After an accident leaves him crippled, Jojo loses all that is left of his self-esteem, grasping that he no longer has a future as a soldier. But then he discovers Elsa—a Jewish girl hiding in his house. He attempts on multiple occasions to display his “genetic superiority,” only to be outsmarted repeatedly and even physically overpowered by his supposedly inferior counterpart. Their journey together leads him into a series of realizations that profoundly change his perspective and enable Jojo to see what is happening around him. After an encounter with Gestapo officers, Jojo is amazed that they failed to identify Elsa as a Jew. This further undermines his beliefs in the alleged superiority of “Aryans.” His imaginary “friend” begins to pester him:
Jojo: She doesn’t seem like a bad person.
Adolf: I am beginning to question your loyalty to myself and the party. You say you are a patriot but where is the evidence? The German soldier was born out of necessity, Germany depends on the passion of these young men, passion and a readiness to fall for the fatherland, despite the futile efforts of Allied war profiteers who send their ill-prepared armies clumsily into the lair of the wolf.
As Jojo changes, the focus of the story changes with him. At the beginning, in the background of almost every scene, we can see hidden details where people are lining up for handouts, soldiers are preparing to defend the “fatherland,” military police arrest people in the streets, and officers display a cynical attitude against the war. But as the movie progresses—and as Jojo’s thinking develops—these background elements gradually come into the foreground and begin to affect the main characters.
For example, the issue of hunger is present throughout the movie. Within the first few minutes, it’s clear that Jojo’s family is struggling with rations. By the end of the movie, the situation becomes more dramatic, culminating in a scene in which the imaginary Adolf is feasting on a unicorn while Jojo eats a very simple dish.
At its core, Jojo Rabbit is a profound story about self-discovery and redemption. Contrary to what viewers are initially led to believe, Jojo’s personal journey is not a comedy about changing the world and becoming a hero in the eyes of others; rather, it’s a drama about a person’s capacity to think independently and thereby radically transform himself. Jojo emerges as a survivor, not only of the conflict between Germany and the Allies, but also—and even more importantly—of the battle within his soul.
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