SYNOPSIS:
In the midst of WWII, a 10-year old Aryan German boy, Johannes "Jojo" Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) is absolutely enraptured by the Nazi party. He attends a Hitler Youth group in his village and wants nothing more than to be conscripted and go fight against the Allies in the war. He even has an imaginary Hitler friend (Taika Waititi) who gives him advice and encourages his blind nationalism. But when he discovers a Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) hiding in the walls of his home, his beliefs are challenged. Should he do the "right thing" and turn her in, potentially risking his and his mother's (Scarlett Johansson) necks for being associated with her, or should he keep her a secret in order to preserve the safety of his home?
REVIEW:
The trailer for this film makes it out to be a goofy comedy, with a borderline flamboyant imaginary Hitler playing with a young Nazi boy in the woods. But without any more context, I couldn't really tell what this film was supposed to be about. I figured, if nothing else, it would be a silly escape for an hour and a half.
After watching it, I realize it's WWII satire, which takes a bright and optimistic youth, bred to be blindly patriotic to his country, and presents him with the reality of war. It started out humorous, but as the veil of reality was lifted, it started to get more serious and dramatic. I found myself fighting tears in a couple places; it hit on the horror of war pretty hard in a few spots (without the blood and gore of more adult films). It was brilliantly written to show the development of a young and curious mind, desperately defending his own biases while also trying to learn more about his "enemy." And learning that perhaps there's more to other people than he's been taught.
I love that the Jewish girl doesn't deny any of the supernatural claims Jojo makes about her "race." Rather, she encourages the beliefs and willingly shares more horrors of her people for Jojo to learn. As time goes on, Jojo has to rationalize for himself just how true her tales are. Which was an interesting way to develop their relationship. If she had straight-out denied the claims of "Jewish mind-reading," "blood-sucking," etc., it would've just kept Jojo at a fearful distance. But by encouraging his biases and being willing to share more juicy details, it fascinated him enough to draw him in, giving him a chance to learn more about her.
I also love that the director, Taika Waititi, insisted on playing Hitler himself. Because he's Jewish, so he considered it the ultimate "fuck you" to Hitler to play a silly, almost effeminate version of him. And he pulls it off. Hitler's known as the serious, hard-charging type, always yelling about something-or-other, so seeing a softer, sweeter, more understanding Hitler was hilarious. I couldn't help but chuckle every time I saw Hitler on screen. Even if he wasn't the focus of the scene, he was still doing something ridiculous in the background. Easily the best part of the comedy side of this film!
RECOMMENDATION:
This was a beautiful masterpiece, telling the horrors of war through the eyes of a 10-year old child. If your children are old enough to learn about WWII, I would highly recommend this film to introduce them to life on the "other side." It's perfect for showing you how blind pride in your nation can distract you from the reality of what's happening behind the scenes. It promotes critical thinking, encouraging you to question everything and not just accept what's told to you. And it advocates empathy by showing a young boy meeting his sworn enemy up close and taking the time to learn about her. And like I said earlier, there's no gore or explicit violence, so it's easily digestible for a younger mind. But regardless of age, this is a film that should be watched by everyone!
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