JOJO RABBIT

UK, 2019, 108 minutes, Colour.
Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin Mc Kenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Stephen Merchant, Archie Yates.
Directed by Taika Waititi.

The title, Jo Jo Rabbit, would be intriguing whatever the story. However, this is a story of the Third Reich. And, with this picture of 1944-1945, there is no springtime for Hitler and Germany. Rather, another cinema reference would be Cabaret with the close-up of the enthusiastic, angelic looking boy singing so enthusiastically and the camera drawing back to reveal him as a member of the Hitler Youth.

Jo Jo is 10 years old, the Hitler Youth recruits being younger than before. Roman Griffin Davis, in his first film, is perfect as Jo Jo, acting his age, indoctrinated in Nazi ideology, sharing training with his young fat friend, Yorkie (Archie Yates). Jo Jo lives at home with his mother, Scarlett Johansson, unaware that she is shielding a young Jewish girl, Elsa, Thomasin Mc Kenzie.

The small town they live in comes out of picture books of central Europe. We see the streets, military headquarters, homes – as well as excursions out in the countryside. Jo Jo is part of the training, supervised by an eccentric captain who has lost one eye, played by Sam Rockwell. He has some obsequious enthusiastic and sadistic young officers who demand that Jo Jo kill a Rabbit, twist its neck. He can’t and gets the derogatory nickname.

Jo Jo lives at home with his mother, his father allegedly fighting outside Germany, his sister dead. His mother seems rather eccentric in the town, the way she dresses, her hat, going bike riding with her son. We know that she has to be subversive. Which leads to one of the shocking sequences of the film.

There is quite a lot of parody in the sequences of the military training of the boys – added to by an enthusiastic Rebel Wilson, urging her charges to go and burn some books. There is also comedy with a tall, gaunt Stephen Merchant, dressed in black, arriving with his henchmen, parody repetitions of Heil Hitler on first arrival, then on the arrival of the military captain, then with the emergence of Elsa into the room. Heil Hitlering has never looked so idiotic!

While Jo Jo is only 10, and has no idea of what love is (although his mother talks about the experience of butterflies in the stomach – and this is later to be visualised), his initial suspicion of Elsa turns into an attraction, into care and protection, into love.

But, we have seen the posters. We have seen the trailers. We know that Hitler makes an appearance – and, more than an appearance. And this is a touch of genius from New Zealand’s writer-director, Taika Waititi (who, for almost a decade, has made two fine films focusing on young boys experience, Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a parody of vampires living in flats in Wellington, What We Do in the Shadows, directing Thor Ragnorak and appearing as the Stone-creature Korg). Adapting a novel by Christine Leuning, Caged Skies, Waitit does Hitler.

Many children have imaginary friends. Jo Jo has Hitler. And, in many ways, Hitler acts and speaks like a 10-year-old, sharing Jo Jo’s enthusiasm, having discussions about the girl in hiding, encouraging Jo Jo in his ideology – but, Jo Jo has to grow up and the imaginary friend, not keeping pace with Jo Jo, has to be kicked out the window: the defenestration of Hitler!

For audiences prone to literal interpretations of what they hear and see, this comic parody might not appeal to their sense of humour. For those with a sense of humour, even for those who have memories of World War II, of the atrocities and racial persecutions, a bit of parody doesn’t do any harm, puts the pretensions of fascists into perspective. Mel Brooks can attest to this.

Charlie Chaplin mimicked Hitler during the war itself in The Great Dictator. Now, 80 years on, mimicry and parody are still effective.

1. The title? The tone? The parody of life during the Third Reich? The satire and mockery? The moral lesson?

2. Audiences looking back 70 years and more, memories of World War II, the Holocaust? Looking back at the serious issues? German history? The experience of the war, of atrocities?

3. The setting here, 1944-1945, the military in the German town, the authorities and their spine, the SS? The youth, the little boys, the training camps? The issues of the sheltering of Jews? Nazi ideology? The allies attacking, the defeat of the Third Reich, of Hitler?

4. The town and its look, middle European, the streets, homes, shops? The countryside out so outside the town?

5. The musical score, the range of songs, the Beatles in German…? Ironic touches?

6. The origins in the novel? The adaptation by the writer-Dir and his performances Hitler? The international cast?

7. Jo Jo, aged 10, an angelic looking young boy, a member of the Hitler youth, his friend and his size, spectacles? Jo Jo and his nickname, the training, the rabbit, his being commanded to bring the rabbits net, his inability to do so? His name? The training with the grenades, his from the grenade, the ricochet, the injuries to his face? Jo Jo, Annie and mouthing the Nazi ideology? Suspicion of the Jews, the Aryan Heritage – and the final comment about the allied Japanese not looking Aryan!

8. The presence of Hitler, younger, his behaviour and talk in manner? His being the equivalent of a child’s imaginary friend? His acting as a 10-year-old, a childish Nazi, his accent, his look, behaviour, happy, sharing with Jo Jo, their discussions, the discussion about the situations, hiding the Jewish girl? His demands on Jo Jo, his petulant sinking the chair? His disappearance for a time? His return, the demands, criticising Jo Jo, on Jo Jo kicking out the window?

9. The family, the absent father, the sister did, the mother, her style, dress and hat, love for her son, the going for rides, the walks? Her talking to Jo Jo, taking in the Jewish girl, not telling Jo Jo? The secrecy, Jo Jo and his disguise and making the appeal in the streets, seeing his mother and her subversive activity? The shock of seeing her hanging?

10. The commander of the youth training, the injury to his eyes, not being able to fight, the demanding soldier, training, the speeches, propaganda, his assistant in the insinuation of a gay glance? Transfer to the office, the jobs, propaganda? Jo Jo and his earnestness, distributing the propaganda? His coming to the house, the head of the SS, the jokes about heiling Hitler! Also pretending to be the dead sister, his shielding her about the date of her birth? The waging of the war, the flamboyant costumes, his being wounded? His finally saving Jo Jo and urging him to escape?

11. The female assistant? Rebel Wilson comedy, with the boys, in the office, wanting to burn the books, the final attack?

12. Jo Jo’s young friend, supporting him, succeeding, meeting up at the end, the explosion for the shop? Not a good time to be a Nazi!

13. The SS, Stephen merchant and his appearance, the salutes, the search, the book about the Jews, also pretending to be anger, his assistance?

14. The young trainers, their fanaticism, the bringing of the neck of the rabbit? Eventually in the war?

15. Elsa, Jo Jo discovering her hidden, relationship with Nathan, her love for real, Jo Jo and his suspicions, the change of heart, the letters pretending to be those from Nathan, the poetic quotes? The revelation of the truth about his death? Jo Jo deciding to save her, her appearing with the SS and pretending to be the sister? Jo Jo in love? The visuals of the butterflies in his stomach?

16. The end of the war, the planes flying over, the bombs, the ruins, the people in the bewilderment?

17. Jo Jo and his live about Germany winning the war, Elsa believing him, eventually bringing her outside, the slapping him? And the idea that at the end of the war, there would be dance?

18. Hitler, Jo Jo not having any need for an imaginary friend, the confrontation, the defib the station?

19. The effect on the audience of this kind of parody and its anti-fascist message?