Comedy as a Learning Lesson

A movie that I have just recently watched that deserves a high recommendation is called Jojo Rabbit. This film came out a few years ago, but it is still a must-watch as it provides a great learning lesson and provides a bit of comical relief as well. To really explain this film over text is quite difficult because essentially the movie is making fun of Nazi propaganda by making their beliefs even more absurd than they already are. The story takes place in Nazi Germany and the focus of the film is on a young boy named Jojo who is a part of the Hitler youth program. One thing that Jojo wants is to prove to everyone that he is tough and can fight for his country. However, this goal of his does not come true as he suffers an injury and is kicked out of the program.

As the storyline goes on, audiences see the world through the eyes of Jojo which enables a sense of laughter at a topic that is usually a very dark and unsettling part of history. So what exactly do I mean by this? The writers and director Taika Waititi created this perspective for audiences to follow because the way kids view the world is quite different from how adults see things. In this particular situation, Jojo is under the influence of major Nzai propaganda which is terrible, however, through the eyes of an eight-year-old things are a bit more naive. Things do start to change, however, when Jojo discovers that his mother is hiding a Jew in the house. Following this discovery, there is a change in perspective from Jojo because he sees the Jewish girl not as the “monster” he has been taught, but as a genuine, good human being.

Through the friendship that occurs between Jojo and the Jewish girl, there is a great sense of hope that even in some of the most difficult times, humans can still see the humanity in one another. In addition, this film expresses the power that words can have on society as they can manipulate humans into believing some of the most ridiculous things which was the case for Germany during this time.

In terms of the overall performance by the actors and writers, they did a really good job. While this film had some very well-known actors like Scarlett Johansson, it also had some lesser-known ones like Roman Griffin Davis who plays Jojo. The cast did a terrific job of expressing all of the various personalities that exist within this parody. Not only is the storyline creative, but it is also filled with unexpected situations which add to the quality of the film. In the end, there is a great lesson to be taught to audiences about how language can bring about harmful situations and divide people. However, the film also shows that humans can bring about good and strive to bring out the best in one another.