Inventive, hilarious and original - "Jojo" is a ballsy film that works because of its wit and heart - 8/10 ⭐

Rating: 8/10 (16 September 2019)

I was fortunate enough to catch Taika Waititi's latest film at the 2019 TIFF People's Choice Screening and what an absolute treat it was. In this "anti-hate satire", we follow the trials and tribulations of a German boy who finds a Jewish girl living in his attic and is confronted with a clash of his conditioned values as a little nazi boy. If you think the synopsis sounds crazy, you have no idea what you're in for...
Though seemingly taking inspiration from the works of Wes Anderson and Mel Brooks, "Jojo" manages to create something in an entirely new ball park pulling off a spoof that manages to be hilarious while not disrespecting its touchy subject matter, a feat that only the wonderful Taika (who directed, wrote and acted as Imaginary Hitler in) could pull off so well. The film also boasts some killer cinematography as well as a wonderful soundtrack, both of which punctuate some of the films quieter moments to ground us in the era and atmosphere of the film.
As mentioned above, Taiki plays the titular boy's imaginary Hitler friend and leaves you weak in the stomach from laughing so much - he's, quite simply, hilarious. And yet, he doesn't manage to overpower the rest of the cast which includes Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Jo and Rebel Wilson all of whom are wonderful. But most notably, it's the child performances that take center stage. The two little leads are incredible, making us laugh at times, shed a tear at others and just feel for the two of them. Their comedic timing, range and overall performances are done to a T - it's because of them the film works as well as it does.
In today's day and age, more than ever, people need a reason to just sit back and smile and this makes "Jojo Rabbit" a truly timely film. Leave it to Mr. Waititi to take one of the most gruesome periods in human history and, believe it or not, find both a humour and beauty in its telling. It's also entirely original in its execution and is perhaps the perfect example of the kind of film Hollywood could use more of. All that's left to say is thanks for the laughs Taika; and for your brilliantly twisted mind!