Taika Waititi should not play Hitler! 5 things you need to know about Jojo Rabbit

literary inspiration

After hitting theaters in 2019, Jojo Rabbit could be (re)discovered Disney+. While the film is directed by Taika Waititi, the film is actually an adaptation of the 2004 novel. The caged skyChristine Leunens describes the life of a German teenager indoctrinated by the Third Reich, who returns from the front to discover that his family has hidden a young Jew in the attic.

Inspired by the idea of ​​a child enlisted in Nazism facing all its horrors, the filmmaker imagines the story of a younger boy whose overactive imagination leads him to an imaginary friend who is none other than Adolf Hitler.

Role granted… by default!

Taika Waititi always offered himself a role in his own films. He is sometimes in the background, as in Thor: Love and Thunder in Korg, other times more present as a boy or vampires in complete privacy.

Playing a mustachioed dictator by writing the script of Jojo Rabbit is not at all intended for him. The difficulty of finding an actor willing to play this delicate role ends up prompting him to take on the costume himself, a testament to the quality of his comic talent.

In terms of preparation, the filmmaker is not based on the real Führer, as it comes straight from the imagination of a 10-year-old boy. The director then describes the character as “A stupid, stupid version of me with a little mustache and a grotesque German accent.”

Young hero, long search!

After brilliantly directing two feature films, Annoying Boys and The Pursuit of Ricky Baker, which focus on the lives of young men, Taika Waititi knows the importance – and the difficulty – of finding a young actor for the job.

After looking at more than 1,000 entries from around the world, his choice settled on young Roman Griffin Davies, a ten-year-old from Britain. It’s a hit once again, with this guy who turns out to be perfectly suited for this role, his first in a movie.

A different view of the period

If it is fictional, Falkenheim, the town in which the story focuses, was created in two very real places in the Czech Republic and steeped in history. Zatek and Ustek, annexed by the Reich, but left untouched during the war, are the background of the story. The choice was made to stay as close to reality as possible, capturing the atmosphere of these colorful, floral and ornate cities.

Similarly, the film chooses to use bright colors for costumes or interiors. The atmosphere that is created is very different from the period as it is generally shown in cinema, without falling into anachronism. A vision full of thoughts as the viewer discovers this world through the eyes of an innocent child full of illusions.

Oscar-winning success

Following its theatrical success, the confirmation of Jojo Rabbit’s success leads to 6 nominations at the 2020 Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Costume Design, or Best Set Design). It eventually won the Best Adapted Screenplay statuette at the ceremony and was honored in the same category at the BAFTAs later that year.

Meanwhile, Roman Griffin Davis won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his excellent performance as Jojo.

A real find, an exciting movie discovery with the family on Disney+!