Using absurd and black humor to expose Hitler and Nazi Germany

Rating: 8/10 (10 November 2019)

"Jojo Rabbit" (2019 release; 108 min.) brings the story of Jojo. As the movie opens, 10 yr. old Jojo is pledging allegiance to his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler, while we also get clips of Hitler-mania in Germany, as the Beatles' Komm Gib Mir Deiner Hand plays along. Jojo joins the Hitler Jugend traning camp in what we learn are the waning months of the Third Reich. Returning from camp, Jojo is startled to learn that a Jewish girl, Elsa, is hiding in the attic, helped by Jojo's mom. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the latest work from New Zealander Taika Waititi, who recently directed "Thor: Ragnarok" and before that the excellent "Hunt for the Wilderpeople". Here Waititi not only directs, but also wrote the scrip, produces, AND stars as the wacky Adolf Hitler (as imagined in the mind of a 10 yr. old boy). There is lots of humor, mostly of the absurd if not black kind, but along the way plenty of points are made as well about intolerance and hate and the absurdity of war. British newcomer Roman Griffin Davis is nothing short of sensational as the young boy. His mom is played by Scarlett Johansson. Australian actress Thomasin McKenzie, outstanding in "Leave No Trace" is excellent as the Jewish teenager Else. Surely we have not seen the last of her (or of Davis). There are excellent song placements in the movie, including Love's "Everybody's Gotta Live", Roy Orbinson's "Mama" and David Bowie's "Helden", which plays in the very last scene of the movie and then over the end titles.
"Jojo Rabbit" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September to positive buss. After being released in NY and LA, the movie gradually rolled out to other cities and it made its way to Cincinnati last weekend. I finally got around to seeing it this weekend. The Saturday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended very well, a bit to my surprise as this is NOT a very "mainstream"-like movie. If you are in the mood to check out a new perspective on Hitler and Nazi Germany with a heavy dose of absurd and black humor, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.