My son walked by the living room as we were watching JoJo Rabbit and asked, “What’s this? A Nazi boy scout movie?”
In many respects, that’s exactly what JoJo Rabbit is.
It’s a movie about, JoJo, a ten-year old boy who is a fervent Nazi and even has an imaginary Adolf Hitler as his best friend. He wears a uniform and goes out with his friends in a youth camp for aspiring Nazis.
Much mirth and hijinks ensue as they burn books and draw horrible pictures of their enemies.
This is, after all, a movie about the Third Reich. And even though you know how the grand story ends, there are moments in the film where you don’t know exactly when the actions of the villains will cross the line from caricature and buffoonery to cruelty and evil.
The movie’s star–Roman Griffin Davis as “JoJo”—gives a wonderfully earnest performance, making his character sympathetic.
I would rate it as a good, but not great, movie that deftly balances humor with pain and dread. Taika Waititi, the director and writer, calls JoJo Rabbit an anti-hate satire.
Recommended, but not a must watch.