Charming, innocent fun that doesn't shirk the gravity of the issue

Rating: 7/10 (7 January 2020)

I imagine Taika Waititi's pitch to whichever film board gave him funding was an unusual one: a Jewish director wanting to make a Nazi-based comedy, where he would also play an imaginary Hitler. He was probably met with some raised eyebrows, some looks of disbelief, and maybe even a few laughs of incredulity. Regardless, this script and plot is airtight, portraying a child's formative years as a fanatic (albeit useless) member of the Hitler Youth, whilst also harbouring a Jewish refugee. The comedy is inoffensive and caters for all ages, with strong performances from some of Hollywood's most eminent figures. The seriousness of the issue, however, is never completely avoided, and Jojo Rabbit does a good job of still getting the point across about indoctrination and the severity of war.
Jojo (played by Roman David Griffiths) is firm advocate for the Nazis (even after an incident at a training day involving a grenade), who finds himself conflicted when it's revealed his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl. This creates the divide of the film: during the day he does the menial work the party cannot be bothered to do themselves, and in the evenings he tries to dissect the mindset of the "evil" Jewish race by interrogating his houseguest. Amongst all of this, Waititi's Hitler provides the most comic relief: being imaginary, he does everything from psyching Jojo up, to eating roast unicorn.
Hitler is arguably the best device of the film - by being so friendly and funny, he lulls the viewer into a false sense of security, which by the end makes the audience question why they trusted this person to begin with. This gives some insight into how someone in Jojo's position could also buy into the idea of a perfect world under the Nazi party. Other notable performances come from the ever-brilliant Sam Rockwell as Captain Klezendorf, a former military man consigned to looking after children having lost an eye in the war, and Rebel Wilson as his associate Fraulein Rahm, a devout patriot who believes every rumour about the Jews is true. Jojo's best friend Yorki (Archie Yates) is harmless, but the dialogue between him and Jojo is fairly stale at times.
Whilst the comedy dominates the movie on the whole, serious scenes are frequent. The darkness of the Nazi party's ideology is constantly reinforced - watching Jojo speak so hatefully about another race can be tricky to watch. You also get a strong sense of the disagreement between Jojo and his mother on the benefits of the war, and how the conflict may have looked from both sides. There are some clunky elements to the storyline: Jojo's father and sister are both eluded to constantly, but neither really have any influence on the plot. It may be heavy-handed to crowbar them into the story at the end, but a lack of representation made their inclusion confusing.
Visually, the film is bright, using quirky costume designs and decor to make the era feel lively. Alongside this is the brilliant soundtrack: several iconic British anthems, re-recorded in German to add to the authenticity of the film. As the storyline progresses and the war draws to a close, the town itself begins to lose colour and light, using weather to foreshadow the fate of the Nazis. Whilst Jojo Rabbit doesn't really push any storytelling boundaries (as you might expect of a film with this subject matter), it does a good job of being fun and accessible. Waititi has a habit of making films appealing in this way, and I would consider this another job well done.