postPerspective Update

Taika Waititi: Catching up
with the Jojo Rabbit director
By Iain Blair

Jojo Rabbit has had an impressive path to the big screen and beyond. Since it premiered at Toronto last year, this film went from festival favorite to Oscar darling.

Helmed by New Zealander Taika Waititi, and infused with his trademark blend of comedy and pathos, it’s a World War II satire that follows Jojo, a lonely German boy, whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Waititi), Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.

The Oscar-winning adapted screenplay by Waititi, who brought a fresh perspective and impish humor to the usually dead-serious subject matter, is based upon the book “Caging Skies” by Christine Leunens.

Here, Waititi, whose diverse credits include Thor: Ragnarok, Flight of the Conchords and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, talks about making the film — which is now streaming and on DVD.

Given the current rise of anti-Semitism and as someone who’s half-Jewish yourself, is it fair to say this was a very personal endeavor?
It was, but not so much because I’m Jewish. I just think anyone who sees the rise of intolerance and the horrible things people do to each other could tackle this. But I definitely felt a sort of quiet power behind me on this, and it’s also the first time I’ve ever sat down and written a script from page one all the way through. I usually start at the end and then bounce around a lot as I figure out how to cobble it all together. But this time, it all flowed so easily, so maybe it was my ancestry coming through and helping me.

What sort of film did you set out to make, as this could so easily have been a very bleak drama?
Right, so I set out to make a film with some hope and humor that was a very different look at such a dark period. It's also a fairly simple story, one about two kids learning to bridge the gaps between themselves and their cultures, and understand each other. I also wanted to tell a story about a kid — who’s been indoctrinated to hate — learning to think for himself.