Jojo Rabbit

Jojo Rabbit tells the story of the final days of World War II through the eyes of a child. To be specific a member of the Hitler Youth. Young 10 yar old Roman Grifin Davies is our protagonist in this story.

When the Nazis gained power the Hitler outh was one of the most insidious ways of consolidating futue power. If they hadn't started the European portion of World War II who knows how long they could have stayed with a whole generation of youth indocrinated as it was.

As with youth all over the world Davies is subject to peer pressure. He's not the most athletically inclined kid around and has a problem with the physical stuff. He has however an imaginary friend. The Fuehrer himself played by director Taika Waititi encourages him on. The title comes when the kid gets sqieamish about killing a rabbit and earns Jojo Rabbit as a title of derision.

But his mother Scarlett Johansson is a lot less enthusiastic about the Nazis and she's taken to hiding a Jewish teen Thomasin McKenzie. When the lad discovers this it puts him on the horns of a dilemma.

Part drama, part comedy, part satire, Jojo Rabbit has something to appeak to all tastes. Jojo Rabbit won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for a flock of other Oscars inclding Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Scarlett Johansson.

Once viewed Jojo Rabbit is a film that will linger on.

Jojo Rabbit demonstrates that there is hope, both for humanity and Hollywood. By the latter I mean it's hard to imagine how a film this original got made in an era of reboots, remakes, sequels and prequels (mostly bad)

The characters are charming and quirky, the dialogue clever and the plot wisely confines itself to telling an intensely personal story rather than one of the war itself. The young male star is perfect, and the other performances shine as well. It does seem though that Scarlett got less time on the screen than she deserves.

The director cleverly doesn't show us certain things, and a lot of good choices were made in the editing room.

Hollywood, if you're listening, more like this please.

This is fantastic Political Satire; we need to be able use Satire in the correct way and Waititi did just that. If you think this movie is offensive here is Satires definition:

Satire 1 a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn 2 trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly

The trailer for the movie had me scratching my head but as a HUGE fan of Waititi I felt I ought to give it a shot.

My best spoiler free review is that this is an original, outrageous film. The emotional gamut we are subjected to is whiplash inducing, but without the neck brace and ambulance chasing lawyers.

Every actor is perfection. Young JoJo and Yorkie are devastatingly earnest and so talented. Sam Rockwell is always a master. Every subtle satire is underwritten with a grim level of truth. The soundtrack n unexpected choice.

Go see it. Prepare yourself for quite a ride.

For me this film is a total paradox. I have never laughed so hard in one scene and then cried like a baby in the next. It's unique. Go watch.