When Taika Watiti approached pitching Jojo Rabbit, he came into some trouble. “The pitching of this film was always going to be awkward because you can’t start with ‘It’s a lighthearted look at the atrocities of World War Two,’” Watiti tells in an interview with IndieWire. The subject is a challenging one. How do you tell a story about, as Watiti says, a ten-year-old boy whose hero is Hitler and whose mother is hiding a Jewish girl (IndieWire 3:44-3:56)? One of the key ways he achieves this is through his depiction of complex characters. The story hits all the beats: deep valleys, strong highs, and comic catharsis to smooth out the rest. It so aptly captures childlike wonder and love but also their vulnerability and malleability to evil. This “anti-hate satire” brings you back to your childhood and asks what you would do differently. It compels empathy, and one scene in particular, the dinner conversation with Jojo and his mother, gives us deep, sometimes painful insight into our characters, using playful comedy to soften the blows. 

When the scene opens, we have a couple of things on our minds. While his mother was gone, Jojo had gone to talk with Elsa, resulting in a tense fight where he was bested. Later, chatting with the imaginary Hitler, he sees Rosie, his mother, burning a paper of some sort. Hitler, in a thick German accent, shouts at her “What are you burning?” Andrew Horton discusses comic characters in his book, and the imaginary Hitler, despite real Hitler’s atrocities, seems to fit the innocent archetype. He is a silly fool who is not to be taken too seriously. This short scene, despite being hilarious, leaves us with the same question Hitler asked: What is she burning? Burning the paper emphasizes the danger of her actions. If we don’t already know it enough, their lives are at serious risk by the SS. Now with that emotional backdrop set up, we cut to the scene at hand.

Staged at opposite ends of the table, Rosie and Jojo are in a sort of stand-off. There is tension in the air. Rosie dances down to her chair, and Jojo coldly stares her down. Rosie says she is happy the Allies are winning and the war will be over soon. Jojo and Hitler comically simultaneously slam their hands on the table. “Goddamn it woman why does that make you happy?” Jojo, the ten-year-old, shouts at her. Hitler is framed in between them at the table; He is the dividing line between Rosie and Jojo. The distance between them is great. The back and forth continues until Rosie demands “Okay, no more politics! Dinner is neutral ground; this table is Switzerland.” They sit in silence for a moment, and Jojo mentions that she isn’t eating. Rosie jokes to lighten the tension, saying she will “Chew on these grapes,” taking a sip of her wine and chewing it like food. Jojo realizes she plans to feed Elsa with it and decides to eat it himself. Now the tension is much higher. 

Hitler awkwardly looks back and forth and steps out of the room slowly. This funny moment also signals an ability for the two of them to open up. Hitler has left the room, and now their focus is personal. Rosie asks Jojo how his day was. “Oh, you know, just wandered around being a deformed kid with nothing to live for,” Jojo retorts. Rosie says he’s not deformed but doesn’t comment on not having something to live for. “My face looks like a goddamn streetmap woman,” Jojo says. This conversation is funny but bittersweet due to the reality behind it, like much of the film. Rosie is clearly hurt by his comments and tone. “If my father was here he’d get it,” Jojo adds, reaching the heart of the conflict. Jojo is a boy without a father. He believes his father is fighting for the Nazis, which could be much of Jojo’s motivation for joining the Hitler Youth. He is missing a father figure and seeks it in the war effort. He thinks he is following in his father’s footsteps. They argue back and forth, both getting more and more aggressive until Rosie says, “You want your father, eh?” With a couple of back and forth “Yeah!”-“Yeah?”s, Rosie storms out of the room, grabs a thick jacket, and smears charcoal on her face from the fireplace. She stomps up to him. It is a funny display, but we don’t have time to laugh before she startles us, slamming her fist on the table and saying in a deep voice “Don’t you ever talk to your goddamn mother like that!” Jojo jumps back in his seat frightened. Rosie seems to see the fear in his eyes and regrets her decision, walking away and hiding her face. She humorously talks to herself about apologizing, switching back and forth from her voice to the low voice. She finally ducks down beside the table, almost hiding like a child. He avoids eye contact and she says “Sorry kid… Jojo,” her voice cracking. “I know you miss me but I’m out there trying to make a difference in the world. And while I’m gone, I need you to take care of my Rosie.” Jojo is not the only one who is struggling. Rosie misses his father too and has her own struggles to deal with. Jojo can’t just be a kid in Nazi Germany, he has to pull his weight. She reaches over and holds his shoulder, fully breaking the distance between them. He finally looks back at her and says, “Yes, Dad.” 

She continues messing around, pretending to be Jojo’s Dad and puts on some music. She holds her arms out like she is dancing with someone and shakes her hips, walking in a circle. “Hey, don’t just sit there kid. Come. Dance with your parents, come,” Rosie says in the father’s voice, pulling out a chair. Jojo walks over and dances with her, in a truly joyful moment. They hug and dance in the warm light of the living room, before it cuts to Elsa, alone, looking at a knife in her hand. Through the Juxtaposition of these two shots, we learn more about Elsa too. The weight of her solitude is bringing her to the edge. She is losing hope, and the knife subtly signals thoughts of suicide or self-harm.

Not only does this scene (and the following shot) have incredible emotional range, but it so efficiently tells us a great deal about our characters. In times of trouble, kids aren’t so far from adults and adults aren’t so far from kids. Kids must be responsible, pull their weight, and be able to take care of themselves, adults can get emotional and short-tempered, but one of the key uniting forces is comedy. They are in this struggle together, and through community, comedy, and fun, they can still have something worth living for.