Jojo Rabbit, 2019

Jojo Rabbit is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, adapted from Christine Leunens's 2008 book Caging Skies. Roman Griffin Davis portrays the title character, Johannes "Jojo" Betzler, a ten-year-old Hitler Youth member who finds out that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. He must then question his beliefs while dealing with the intervention of his imaginary friend (Waititi), a fanciful version of Adolf Hitler with a comedic stance on the politics of the war. The film also stars Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, and Alfie Allen.

Waititi crafted the screenplay in 2011, a year after his mother described the premise of Caging Skies. He rewrote the first draft, which as a rough adaptation of the dark-toned source material did not contain much comedy; it was also in the rewritten version that Adolf's character was included. Waititi recalled the pitching process as exhausting. In 2012, it landed on the Black List, where it remained in a development limbo until several years later when Fox Searchlight Pictures showed interest in it. A tight casting schedule started in 2018, and the film started principal photography in the Czech Republic in May 2018, finishing two months later. Post-production included adding the visual effects, editing done by Tom Eagles, as well as composing the score done by Michael Giacchino.

Jojo Rabbit had its world premiere at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2019, where it won the Grolsch People's Choice Award. It was later released theatrically in the United States on October 18. It was chosen by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute as one of the ten best films of the year, though receiving polarized critical reviews due to its comedic treatment of the subject of Nazism. Among its accolades is winning the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and being nominated for Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards (ultimately losing out to Parasite).

Plot

During the collapse of Nazi Germany in the fictional city of Falkenheim,[a] ten-year-old Johannes "Jojo" Betzler joins the Deutsches Jungvolk, the junior section of the Hitler Youth. Heavily indoctrinated with Nazi ideals, he has an imaginary friend Adolf, a buffoonish Adolf Hitler. Though a fanatic, at a training camp run by Captain Klenzendorf, he is nicknamed "Jojo Rabbit" after refusing to kill a rabbit to prove his worthiness. Pepped up by Adolf, he returns to prove himself, throwing a Stielhandgranate by himself that explodes at his feet, leaving him scarred and limping. His mother Rosie insists to the now-demoted Klenzendorf that Jojo still be included, thus he is given small tasks like spreading propaganda leaflets and collecting scrap for the war effort.

Alone at home one day, Jojo discovers Elsa Korr, a teenage Jewish girl and his late sister Inge's former classmate, hiding behind the walls of Inge's attic bedroom. Jojo is both terrified of and aggressive towards Elsa. The two are left at an impasse, as the revelation of Rosie hiding Elsa would lead to the execution of all three of them. Inspired by an offhand rant by Klenzendorf, Jojo continues to interact with her to uncover her "Jew secrets" and make a picture book titled Yoohoo Jew,[b] so he can "expose" the Jewish religion, allowing the public to easily recognize her kind. Despite this, he finds himself clashing with innocence, and starts forming a friendship with her. Elsa is both saddened and amused by Jojo's beliefs, using surreal antisemitic canards to challenge his dogmatism. Jojo slowly becomes infatuated with the caring and engaging Elsa, frequently forging love letters from her fiancé Nathan, and begins questioning his beliefs, causing Adolf to scold him over his diminishing patriotism.

Gradually, Rosie is revealed to be part of the German resistance to Nazism; among her tasks is spreading anti-Nazi messages around town.[c] One afternoon while she is out, the Gestapo come to investigate; Klenzendorf arrives and helps Jojo and Elsa deceive the Gestapo regarding Elsa's identity. Later, Jojo finds Rosie hanged at a gallows in the public square. Devastated, he returns home and tries to stab Elsa before breaking down in tears. Elsa comforts him and also reveals that Jojo's lost father has been working against Hitler from abroad. Jojo's beliefs on Nazism quickly shift, and starts seeing the regime's inhumanity. With no money, the pair starts scavenging food from waste bins around the city.

Following Hitler's suicide, the Allies initiate an offensive on Falkenheim.[d] Weak in power, the civilian population, including the Jungvolk, is armed to battle. Despondent, Jojo hides until it ends, with the Allies winning. As a Jungvolk, he is seized by Soviet soldiers alongside Klenzendorf, who tells Jojo to look after Elsa and tears off Jojo's Jungvolk coat while calling him a Jew so that the soldiers do not harm him; Klenzendorf is then executed by firing squad. Fearing that Elsa will leave him alone now that she can be free, Jojo tells her Germany won the war. Recognizing her despair, he forges a letter from Nathan, claiming that he and Jojo have figured out a way to smuggle her to Paris. Elsa confesses that Nathan died of tuberculosis the previous year. Jojo tells her he loves her, and she tells him she loves him as a brother. A disheveled Adolf angrily confronts Jojo for siding with Elsa, but Jojo kicks him out a window. Outside, Elsa sees American soldiers and realizes the truth, slapping Jojo in the face for lying. They then dance, now free.