``Jojo Rabbit'' The outside is unscrupulous, but the inside is a dazzling love. A love story that reconsiders “war”

"Jojo Rabbit" synopsis

Ten-year-old Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) is extremely nervous. Starting today, he will be attending a training camp for the Hitler Youth youth group, but he complains to his ``imaginary friend'' Adolf (Taika Waititi), ``Maybe it's not for me.'' After being encouraged by Adolf, ``You're weak and unpopular, but your loyalty to the Nazis is perfect,'' Jojo gathers herself and leaves the house.

Germany during World War II. What awaits Jojo and the other young men is intense combat training under the guidance of Captain Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell), who lost an eye in battle, and instructor Miss Rahm (Rebel Wilson). Jojo manages to finish the first day, but is exhausted and falls asleep in a tent with his only real friend, a friendly Yorkie.

However, on the second day, when Jojo fails to kill the rabbit as ordered, the instructor ridicules him for being a coward like his father. Jojo's father, who has not been heard from for two years, was assumed by Nazi party members to have deserted. Furthermore, given the dishonorable nickname ``Jojo Rabbit'', Jojo runs away into the depths of the forest and cries, but is once again encouraged by Adolf, who tells him that ``rabbits are brave, cunning, and strong.'' Jojo, who has regained her energy, jumps into grenade throwing training with enthusiasm, but fails and is seriously injured.

Index

• Waititi's personal work that denies war with love
• Daring affirmation: A realistic portrayal of the feelings of a boy who “admires” war.
• Gimmick of “conflict” using “imaginary friends”
• The beauty of socially disadvantaged people standing up against the system with love

Waititi's personal work that denies war with love

A boy who grew up during wartime and was brainwashed normally.

When he "knows" love and "learns" about love, the world begins to move normally.

This is an incredibly tender love story of independence.

I wonder how many hurdles he had to overcome to create this work. It's a truly courageous war movie. ``Jojo Rabbit'' is a work that depicts an unscrupulous and challenging idea such as ``Hitler is the imaginary friend of a 10-year-old boy who admires Nazi Germany'' wrapped in an extraordinary love. It can be said that it is a powerful drug that only Taika Waititi, the reformist director who took a 180-degree turn from the existing serious tone to a comedic direction with Thor: Battle Royale (2017), could do.

The setting is Germany during World War II. The only person who understands bullied boy Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) is his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi). Jojo strives to become a fine soldier in the Hitler Youth, a group of young people he admires, but when he fails to kill a rabbit in training, he is despised by those around him, calling him ``the coward Jojo Rabbit.'' One day, he is depressed and meets Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), a Jewish girl whose mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) has been hiding in the attic. As he continues to have distorted interactions with his "enemy", he notices that his inner feelings are changing. Was the common sense and normality that I had until now really correct? What is this feeling that makes my stomach tickle? This work vividly depicts wartime youth through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy.

"Jojo Rabbit" preview

The film had its world premiere at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival in 2019, where it won the Audience Award. At the 77th Golden Globe Awards, the film was nominated for Best Musical or Comedy and Best Actor. She won the Child Actor Award (New Actor Award) at the 25th Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, and was nominated for six categories at the 92nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress. Led by rising star Roman Griffin Davis, he is firmly in the race for the award. It received an audience score of 95% and an overall rating of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, the largest review site in the United States. It wouldn't be surprising if the ratings were even more mixed because of the theme, but it's clear that it has captured the hearts of viewers.

Director Waititi, who played a major role in directing, writing, and starring, is said to have finished writing the script in 2011. "I didn't want to make a straight-up movie about hatred and prejudice, so I didn't put any restraint on the script at all. You have to write with unflinching determination to say what you need to say. There's no danger. If that's the case, then it's not worth it for me to do it," he left a reliable comment.

Waititi's mother was a Russian Jew and a single mother. Therefore, this work also has the meaning of ``a love letter to my mother.'' Her mother is reflected in the two heroines, Elsa and Rosie. "When I became an adult and had my own children, I realized how much my parents sacrificed and raised their children under difficult circumstances." In other words, this is an anti-war film that denies war through love. It is also a film in which director Waititi's personality is displayed more than ever before.

Daring affirmation: A realistic portrayal of the feelings of a boy who “admires” war.