Jojo Rabbit on RaiDue – TV Guide

Film

Jojo Rabbit

The theme of Nazism seen through the eyes of a child, the protagonist of a comedy with a dramatic background. The very young Jojo Betzler is 10 years old and has many difficulties relating to his peers. Precisely for this reason and for his clumsy character, he is called Jojo Rabbit-a nickname that underlines his difficulties with the cruelty of some children. To try to face a world that always seems hostile, Jojo then turns to his imaginary friend, nothing strange for a child of his age, except that the friend he has created has the face of Adolf Hitler, played by same director. When he discovers that his mother is hiding Elsa, a Jewish girl, in the attic, the boy begins to wonder about the legitimacy of what he is taught in school and in training camp. A friendship develops between Jojo and Elsa which leads the boy to look at what is happening around him with different eyes and to doubt the validity of the teachings relating to Nazism. The film, written and directed by Tika Waititi with its distinctive charge of humor and pathos, is inspired by the novel “Caged Heaven” by Christine Leunens, published in 2004. The author-director also drew on his personal Jewish heritage and his life experiences marked by prejudices. The film – inspired by the novel “Caged Heaven” by Christine Leunens – received six Oscar nominations, obtaining the statuette for best screenplay.
«I have always been attracted to stories in which the world is seen through the eyes of children. Here, it so happens that it is a child in which one would normally tend not to invest», reveals Taika Waititi. “By having children myself, I have become even more aware that adults should lead children through life and raise them to become the best version of themselves, yet in times of war the opposite is often the case. As a Maori Jew, I have experienced a degree of prejudice, so working on Jojo Rabbit was a way of reminding us, especially today, that we must educate our children for tolerance and keep telling ourselves that there should be no place for hate in this world. Children are not born into hatred, they are trained in it.”