A different mix of comedy and drama

Rating: 7/10 (26 December 2019)

In an unnamed German city, Johannes Beltzer aka Jojo Rabbit (played by Roman Griffin Davis) is a ten-year-old boy enlisted in the Hitler Youth organization during the later years of World War II. Despite his naive dedication to Nazism, his clumsiness leaves him unsuitable for the harder aspects of junior war duty.
While the spoken language in the film is English, notes, posters, and pamphlets are in German. This mix is questionable but less questionable than the film's mix of satirical humour with genuine drama.
Jojo has an imaginary adult Nazi friend named Adolf (a light caricature of Hitler) played by the film's writer/director, Taika Waititi. Much of the humour (attempted or otherwise) seems to be at Jojo's expense in a sometimes sadistic way. Interestingly, the dark humour / satire aspects of the film's first half seem unnecessary as well as silly. Its dramatic side (more prominent in the second half) is quite touching and could have stood alone without earlier attempts at lightness.
All scenes involving Jojo's mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) raise the film to a higher level. This is not just due to the performance but also the very different character: someone who tries her best to shed light on her and Jojo's situation while her country has sunk to the lowest depths.
There are also three exceptional scenes. One involves an unusual revelation of a death that is shocking and heartbreaking. Another involves an unexpected visit by the Gestapo to inspect Jojo's home. A surprising twist occurs in that scene - one that creates much fear and tension. And finally, the scene that indicates the end of the war is very powerful. That scene includes humour that is actually quite fitting via Jojo's friend Yorki, (Archie Yates), another Hitler Youth misfit who spews out absurd Nazi lies including outrageous assumptions about British soldiers.
Portraying a teenaged Jewish girl who has experienced far more than any young person should have, Thomasin McKenzie shows great talent. In silence, her face shows many pent-up, conflicting emotions. Hopefully, she will be in many more movies in the years ahead.