Jojo Rabbit (English): Movie Review

"It’s hard not to be enchanted by this comic satire that treasures emotions beneath the artificiality."

There is a lot to admire in the Kiwi filmmaker #TaikaWaititi's black comedy #JojoRabbit about a 10-year-old boy Johannes 'Jojo' Betzler in the Hitlerjugend - a youth army camp in the last phases of World War II. Jojo is ridiculed by a group of bullying co-fellows for being a coward but his spirits and Hitler-fanatic beliefs are uplifted by his imaginary friend, a fanciful copy of #AdolfHitler (Taika himself).

A loner in many regards, Jojo (whose father is serving in the Italy army for many years) discovers that his mother (#ScarletJohansson) has been hiding a Jewish girl (#ThomasinMcKenzie) in their attic and he starts questioning his beliefs and hatred towards the Jews.

Beneath the elevated artificiality brought by the theatrical tonality of the film, there lie a handful of heart-felt emotions which make the movie-watching a consistently feel-good experience. Waititi has an astute sense of humour which was evident even in his previous films like #Thor:Ragnarok. He uniquely and deliciously blends irreverent comedy and dark satire on the absurdities of the war seen through the hate-driven world-view of the 10-year-old.

This charming, cheerful and adorable film has #RomanGriffinDavis who is brilliant in the portrayal of the young Nazi fanatic Jojo. His moments with his mom and McKenzie are genuinely touching. #ScarletJohansson is strikingly natural and pleasing. #ThomasinMcKenzie is earnest. #SamRockwell, whom I still remember for the #ThreeBillBoardsOutsideEbbing' is outrageously funny and does a terrific job while portraying the quirky chief at the #Hitlerjugend camp.

Waititi delivers a fairy tale that emerges as a warm hug with a Nazi-mocking satire. The sensibilities might not streamline with our Indian culture but it is definitely worth a watch.