"Awareness"

Rating: 7/10 (6 April 2020)

Through the naive gaze of a 10-year-old boy, Taika Waititi tells us the key moment of "Awareness" of a society that has been suffering the consequences with pain for years, for having given their unconditional support to a leader, who is on the verge of debacle, through an interesting story located in Germany at the end of World War II.
Film that shows how influential society is due to age, socioeconomic status or ignorance and how easy it is to be able to manipulate it. Which points out the tricky methods of induction and promotion, through false nationalism, of exalting self-pride, of promising even the impossible, of making you see yourself as the Messiah, of idealizing yourself as the Savior of your people: Populism.
The New Zealand director makes it clear in Jojo Rabbit that the way to open your eyes, 'kick' the false illusion and realize reality, is through love and not hate. Accept us all as we are, regardless of physical conditions, races or religions.
In a burlesque and repetitive way, the author offers a couple of scenes, underlining the ridiculousness of the greeting to his leader, extolling praise, total dedication and unquestioning submission to him.
Comedy with a satirical tone, which although it has some good ideas, does not manage to go beyond the anecdotal level of the plot in order to turn it into a great film.
The ideas: In a movie that is located in a time of war, it is a very good idea to start with:
"I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles to set the tone for the film's parody. It's also a great idea, concluding with "Heroes" by David Bowie rounding out the message of the film, with phrases from the song: "We Can Be Heroes, Just For One Day"
Bad idea: using slow motion, trying without success, to give a poetic touch to a satirical-political comedy. Performances include: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi, Sam Rockwell