Writer director Taika Waititi (THOR: RAGNAROK, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE), brings his signature style of humour and pathos to his latest film, JOJO RABBIT, a World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy (Roman Griffin Davis as JoJo) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi), Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.<\/p>\n
Jojo Rabbit offers a sharply funny, yet profoundly stirring, child\u2019s-eye view of a society gone mad with intolerance.\u00a0 The screenplay is based upon the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens and also stars Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen, with Sam Rockwell.<\/p>\n
To date, Jojo Rabbit has been nominated for 13 prestigious awards including Golden Globes \u2018Best Motion Picture\u2019 and \u2018Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Roman Griffin Davis\u2019, and Critics Choice Awards nominations for \u2018Best Picture\u2019, \u2018Best Supporting Actress for Scarlett Johansson\u2019, \u2018Best Young Actor\/Actress for Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Archie Yates\u2019, \u2018Best Adapted Screenplay for Taika Waititi\u2019 and \u2018Best Comedy\u2019. This week saw the film land six Oscar nominations for \u2018Best Picture\u2019, \u2018Best Supporting Actress\u2019, \u2018Costume Design\u2019, \u2018Film Editing\u2019, \u2018Adapted Screenplay\u2019 and \u2018Production Design\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope the humour in Jojo Rabbit helps engage a new generation; it’s important to keep finding new and inventive ways of telling the horrific story of World War II again and again for new generations, so that our children can listen, learn, and move forward, unified into the future. Here\u2019s to putting an end to ignorance and replacing it with love,\u201d comments writer director Taika Waititi.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I love about Rosie is that she’s unabashedly imaginative, poetic and romantic\u2014and at the same time, she’s this very grounding force for Jojo. She’s fighting for the Resistance and is really a very modern woman,\u201d Johansson describes.\u00a0 \u201cShe’s such a bright light in this very dark time.\u00a0 It’s very rare for me to read something and just say ‘I have to do this’ but I really felt that way when I read this script.\u201d<\/p>\n
McKenzie sees Elsa as mostly itching for freedom.\u00a0 “What I really love is that she doesn’t want pity, she just wants to be able to live her life without all this happening,\u201d McKenzie says.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, I’ve never had to hide in a life-or-death situation like she does, but I related to her as a teenage girl who before this happened was into boys and gossiping with her friends and doing things normal kids do and dream about.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t change from that person when she went into hiding.\u201d<\/p>\n