The Golden Globe Awards were held at the Beverly Hills last night for the 77th time, with favorites like Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Todd Phillips' Joker triumphant. It is evident that streaming platforms have seriously decided to cater to the quality of their content, and the previous night was dominated by Netflix films that we would be denied to see on the big screen, such as Martin Scorsese’s Irishman and Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story.
Still, some of the long-awaited Golden Globe nominees will have a live audience at the 48th FEST. As the final preparations of the programme are coming to a close, we present to you one of the films that will mark this year's season - Jojo Rabbit. This film by the eccentric New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi premiered in Toronto, where it won the most important award of the festival - the Audience Award, and at last night's awards it won the award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Young actor Roman Griffin Davis was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
The protagonist of the film, Jojo Betzler, is a lonely 10-year-old boy indoctrinated by Nazi ideology whose dream is to join Hitler's army. Because his father is at the front and his peers tease him that he is as fearful as a rabbit, Jojo has invented his own imaginary friend who gives him advice and guides him through life - Hitler. The whole of Jojo's world suddenly changes when he discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in the attic, forcing him to reconsider the various nonsense he had previously believed about Jews, as well as to confront the bitter truths about his imaginary friend.
It is clear from the outset that this is a film that will divide audiences and critics, as well as start a discussion about whether everything can be the subject of comedy and derision, or thus trivialize the atrocities of one of the greatest monsters in human history. However, the fact is that this story is as relevant to the present day as it shows in a very receptive way how easy it is to indoctrinate youth with a flammable ideology, and how hatred derives solely from fear and ignorance. Waititi manages to strike a very delicate balance between comedy and tragedy, constantly dosing deadly serious moments filled with tangible tension with endlessly humorous moments of absurd comedy and slapstick. This is definitely one of the more unusual films of the season that will make the audience laugh, cry, or make them mad - but it certainly will not leave anyone indifferent.
The script is based on the book, and the adaptation is signed by Waititi, who also plays the role of the imaginary Hitler, and the cast includes Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, and Stephen Merchant. FEST audiences have already had the opportunity to get acquainted with Waititi's films - in 2015, his vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows was screened, and in 2017 the highly successful comedy drama Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Fans of superhero blockbusters certainly did not miss Thor: Ragnarok, which has achieved remarkable box-office success and brought some freshness to the franchise thanks to the characteristic humor that celebrated Taika Waititi and revived New Zealand cinema.
