JOJO RABBIT
OUT NOW CERT M / 108 MINS
DIRECTOR Taika Waititi
CAST Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi
PLOT Ten-year-old German boy Johannes ‘Jojo’ Betzler (Davis) has grown up in Nazi Germany idolising Adolf Hitler. But when he discovers his mother (Johansson) is harbouring Jewish girl Elsa (McKenzie) in their home, his outlook begins to change — to the dismay of his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler (Waititi).
RILEY had Bing Bong. Jack had Tyler Durden. Now, in, we get another cinematic imaginary friend for the ages: Adolf Hitler. In Taika Waititi’s latest, Hitler Youth boy Jojo’s confidant is none other than a goofed-up, gurning version of the Nazi leader played by Waititi himself. If the fact that Waititi is a Polynesian Jew doesn’t tip you off to the fact that he’s aiming for anything but a respectful portrayal of the mass-murdering dictator, you only have to look at the social media post the writer-director-actor shared after the first week of shooting, complete with the hashtag “#FuckYouShitler”.
