We really are on a marathonic journey with films this year, now that the Oscars are coming up in a week, and most of the nominated films are already out on the big screen, we had the pleasure to attend the premiere of Taika Waititi’s film Jojo Rabbit, a World War II satire which received six nominations this year at the Academy Awards. We headed to 360 Mall as hyped up as ever, got our snacks, went into the movie screen and left in awe with the film still playing in our minds.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
(No seriously, don’t read this if you haven’t watched the film yet)
When you read the plotline of the film; “A young boy in Hitler’s army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home,” it seems fairly simple, right? Well, it’s not. The first thing which truly stood out in Jojo Rabbit is the smart, and amazingly written script. The dark humor stands out unlike any other film this year, except probably Parasite if we compare it to other nominees. We found ourselves laughing, and within seconds we were immediately crying. At one point, we and the rest of the viewers were gasping in shock, whether it was over a joke, or a scene, but then again, literally in seconds we were back to laughing!
The script was bold, and it was in fact inspired from a book by author Christine Leunens, titled Caging Skies. Even though the inspiration for the film came from a novel, Taika transformed the story for the big screen powerfully with his unique filmmaking qualities in balancing emotional dramas with light-hearted comedy. From the tiniest details, we follow Jojo, a Nazi fanatic ten-year-old boy played by the extraordinary actor Roman Griffin Davis, who doesn’t even know how to tie his shoelace, but is still able to carry a knife with him the whole time, ridiculous! That detail alone ends up playing a huge part in the story.
Throughout the film, we’re introduced to several characters that Jojo interacts with daily during World War II; his mother Rosie (played by Scarlett Johansson,) his adorable and extremely lovable and hilarious friend Yorki (played by Archie Yates), Captain Klenzendorf (played by Sam Rockwell), Finkel, (played by Alfie Allen), Fraulein Rahm (played by Rebel Wilson), Adolf Hitler (played by Taiki Waititi), and finally Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), the Jewish young girl who we learn is hiding in Jojo’s home. All of these characters are key members in Jojo’s life, as we follow the little boy in his overwhelming journey of finding out the secrets that were hidden from him for so many reasons.
It’s interesting how Taika revolved and focused the story in the eyes and perspectives of children, rather than adults. To the point where, in the film, it’s revealed to us that Hitler is in fact an imaginary friend of Jojo, and that relationship alone changes throughout as Jojo unravels and realizes the consequences of war. The Costume Designs for the film, which were done by Mayes C. Rubeo was phenomenal. Every outfit Rosie wore we wanted, every uniform was realistic, yet remains very different from the rest of the World War films we’ve usually seen. She added hints of colorful aesthetics despite the dark times which Jojo Rabbit falls under, bringing us back to the point of how the tiniest details were so thorough that it took us by surprise.
Jojo Rabbit is already in cinemas in Kuwait and the GCC. Images are courtesy of 20th Century Studio Middle East, @20thcenturystudiosme on Instagram.
