The boy and his dream to be a good Nazi

Navnee Likhi

New Zealand’s filmmaker Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit is adapted from Christine Leunen’s book, Caging Sky. Set in Germany during the final days of World War II, the film is a bold mix of comic fantasy and stark reality, centring around a 10-year-old boy, Jojo, who wants to be a good Nazi. Jojo is so enamoured by Adolf Hitler that he imagines the dictator is his mentor and one-man cheering squad. Their interplay in the film is amusing to watch. Jojo, as a young boy, has been taught that Jews are to be hated. The adults around him remind him that Germany is losing the war and country’s future is bleak, but Jojo’s imaginary friend Hitler is still blithe and upbeat, and urges him to remain committed to the Nazi cause. Hitler’s character in the film, a figment of Jojo’s imagination, doesn’t really understand what a war is, and what it means to hate; his persona is shown as undisciplined and childlike. The humour in the film is laced with clever wordplay and is not overly sentimental.

Jojo lives with his mother, Rosie, in a crumbling house. He is wrongly made to believe that his father is in Italy, fighting the war. He’s a little timid and his world centres around his imaginary pep-talking friend, his mother and his best pal Yorki. Soon, Jojo and his friend Yorki head off to Hilter’s youth camp, which is run by absentminded, exasperated Captain Klenzendorf and his aides. The boys are taught to fight with guns, knives and grenades, while the girls are trained to tend to the wounded. The children are told that Jews are evil, scary and subhuman.

Jojo and Yorki buy into the Nazi propaganda thinking of killing a Jew everyday when they go back home. However, Jojo’s conscience doesn’t allow him to kill even a rabbit, for which he faces taunts from the boys, and is nicknamed Jojo Rabbit. His imaginary friend reminds him that he is brave and can outsmart whoever chastises him. After the pep talk, Jojo attempts to show his bravery and ends up exploding a grenade. He is badly injured and is sent back home. He mourns that he would never be a part of Hitler’s guards, with scars on his face and limited physical activity. 

Meanwhile, he discovers a 15-year-old Jewish girl, Elsa, living in the attic in his house, sheltered by his mother. He wants to impress the Fuhrer by handing her over to the authorities but realises this would risk his mother’s life. Instead, he negotiates with Elsa to give him information about the Jews, which he intends to present to Hitler in the form of a book. This triggers witty exchanges between Elsa and Jojo. Elsa initially plays the mean stereotype Jew to scare Jojo, but she wants him to get rid of his contradictions, the lies he has been told about the Jews and helps him see the truth. Elsa is a sweet and charming girl, yet strong enough to have a humanising effect on Jojo. Jojo’s hate-driven views gradually become less intense. He writes fake letters to her, seemingly from her fiancé — it seems he has a crush on Elsa. Meanwhile, the allied troops converge on the city. Jojo and Yorki realise that they are on the wrong side, as they see innocents being killed.

Cinematography by Mihai Malaimare Jr lends a colourful palette. Background score, “Everybody gotta live” is enlivening. Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo and Archie Yates as Yorki are cute, innocent kids, simulating the Nazi hatred for the Jews in an adorable way. The film shows how young children are taken in by the propaganda of hate, which plays on their fears and becomes a matter of concern for their future.