A stunningly crafted Nazi farce with a simple, yet powerful message

Rating: 9/10 (25 October 2019)

The only fair way to judge a movie is by how well it lives up to own its aspirations, and in the case of Jojo Rabbit, it is a stellar success. Writer/director Taika Waititi tells the coming of age story of 10-year-old German boy, Johannes (Jojo), who is being brought up in the Hitler Youth during the final months of the second world war. When Jojo learns that his mother is harboring a jewish girl in their attic, he must confront his ideals and face the truth that Nazis are nothing, if not absurd. The manner in which Waititi handles the absurdity of the Nazis, both with his writing and his portrayal of an imaginary Adolf Hitler, is pure comedic genius. His approach works because he creates humor in both surface-level and subtle layers. As a comedy, completely divorced from its subject matter, Jojo Rabbit would still be riotously funny thanks to the physical comedy and all-star line deliveries from every cast member. And with the subtext of taking away power from Nazi propaganda and ideals, reducing them to cartoonish manifestations of a boys imagination, this film succeeds to an even greater degree. Jojo Rabbit never aspires to tell the harrowing truth of the Holocaust or to completely dismantle the Nazi ideology because from the perspective of a young boy learning to love rather than hate, those beats would be out of place. The film accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is prove that we can all change into a better person, simply by doing what we can. Although the comedy and heart of this film are the main attraction, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that from a purely technical and narrative perspective, Jojo Rabbit is equally fantastic. The film is gorgeously shot and edited, with some of the best visual storytelling I've seen this year. Waititi has thoroughly cemented himself as a contemporary master, and I can't wait to see where he goes from here. Jojo Rabbit is hilarious, heart-warming, and easily one of the best cinematic experiences of the year.