“JoJo Rabbit” has 3 things that initially made me exclude
it from my bucket list of films to see. First, the title seemed more like a
cartoon film, second, the same person was the writer, director and cast member
and lastly, the topic of Nazis,
persecution of Jews and World War II made it an ”I’ll pass” decision. All that
being said, I finally saw the film and my reaction to my pre-viewing
criticisms was that I was wrong on all 3 counts.
This is a film written, directed and performed in by
Taika Waititi who handles all of these chores with a scalpel and skill that
must be admired and acknowledged.
Mr. Waititi portrays the imaginary Adolph Hitler to a fanatical
10 year old would-be Nazi youth (Roman Griffin Davis) who is being raised by
his single mother (Scarlet Johansson) as she, unknown to her son, hides a young
Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in the
attic of their German home. To be able to mix and blend humor, humanity,
political satire and great story telling is a feat few if any can easily
accomplish yet Mr. Waititi and his cast accomplish this extraordinary task with
skill and great aptitude. I give this film 3 and ½ stars with special mention
to its star, young Master Davis, who captivates the audience with a noteworthy
and engaging performance. I guess the lesson to be learned from this experience
is, as with books, you can’t judge a film by its title.
