Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Here is one sentence I'd thought I would never write. Jojo Rabbit is a heartwarming comedy about Nazi Germany. There's something crazy and cool about Taika Waititi. Though some have boxed him into the Marvel cinematic universe, he's an eccentric filmmaker with a lot to say, and so many stories to tell. Jojo Rabbit is part coming-of-age comedy and part political satire. But as a whole, it's a sincere plea for humanity. In the most unlikely and darkest of places, Watiti shows us that a light truly exists within it. Is he making light of Nazism? Is he whitewashing history? You'd be a fool to come to that conclusion after watching this. 

Little Jojo is our protagonist. He's a fanatical Nazi youth, who would do anything to please his hero, Adolf Hitler. What better of a specimen for evil to sink it's fangs into than a 10-year old boy? Like all others in his age range, he spends his summer at Nazi camp, where he trains to become a fearless, cold-blooded killer. But unlike the others, he doesn't have the guts to kill a mere rabbit, let alone another human being. The other kids laugh and taunt him. Jojo's only friend in the world is an imaginary incarnation of the fuhrer himself, played joyously by Taika Waititi. In Jojo's mind, Hitler is his wingman who teaches him to embrace the fighting rabbit within him. In other words, all Jojo knows is his ultra-nationalistic view of the world. His views of right and wrong are blurred by mindless patriotism and heinous racism. But his world turns upside-down when he discovers that his mother has been hiding a Jewish girl in the walls of his home. For the first time, Jojo comes face to face with the so-called "enemy" of his race and culture. He's confused and troubled to find that she is just as normal as he is, and even attractive. As things become more tense and confusing around him, Jojo begins to question everything he has ever been taught about his nation, his morals and the bravery he thought he never had. 

Waititi has a goddamn ball. Jojo Rabbit is glorious, colorful and sweet as pie, while at the same time, pulling no punches in ridiculing the insanity of Nazism and all of the evil that it represents. Nazi Germany whimsically comes alive, Wes Anderson style, as Waititi paints his cinematic canvas wildly with impeccable detail to costume and production design. The comedy itself lands so naturally, because it's subject matter is so shocking. Once you get past that barrier, it's cheeky charm wins you over immediately. Having the film represent a child's point of view of the world further disarms you, and loosens you up. Because as Jojo Rabbit so clearly points out, children are easily impressionable, but not irredeemable. You can teach one how to be decent and loving just as quickly as you could teach one how to be rotten. It's never too late to change and make bad things better, no matter how bleak they may be. Jojo Rabbit's message is simple. Live life to the fullest, and let love conquer all. It's a hidden treasure of 2019. 4 and 1/2 out of 5 STARS.