Set in 1925 Montana, the film revolves around a rancher whose brother marries a local restauranteur whose son is known for acting a bit effeminate and talk with a bit of a lisp as he becomes uncomfortable with their presence as he becomes intimidating towards them. It is a film that explores a world where men and women have their place in the world but there is this sense of change where the definition of what men and women are begin to blur. Jane Campion’s screenplay is broken into a few chapters as it play into the relationship between the Burbank brothers in Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his younger brother George (Jesse Plemons) as the latter is an educated while the former prefers to maintain his lifestyle tending to the ranch as he has no interested in bathing nor show any kind of weakness. During a cattle drive where they stop at a nearby town at a restaurant run by Rose (Kirsten Dunst) whose son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a waiter where his lanky and effeminate presentation amuses Phil who would later mock Peter.
The first act is about the relationship between the brothers as well as George’s yearning to marry Rose as he would do so much to Phil’s annoyance as her presence would cause tension just as Rose is trying to bring a few changes as well as invite Phil and George’s parents and the governor (Keith Carradine) and his wife (Alison Bruce) for a dinner. The second act is about Peter’s arrival to the ranch following his time in college where he’s studying medicine and surgery where he tries to stay away from Phil and his ranchers but also makes a discovery about Phil that would change their relationship in the film’s second half. It is where this theme of masculinity come into play as Phil would become open to show Peter the ideas of being a rancher that Peter takes great interest in. Yet, Rose becomes uneasy about it as she turns to alcohol to cope as she would do something that only anger both Phil and Peter.
Campion’s direction is definitely intoxicating for the presentation she creates as it is set in the American West that is Montana though it is shot on the Maniototo plains in the Central Otago region in New Zealand with several interiors shot on sound stages in Auckland. Campion’s direction is often filled with gazing wide shots of these locations where they are major characters in the film as it play into this world that is untouched by modern society which suits Phil and the world he cares about. Campion would also use medium shots and close-ups to get a look into some of the attention to detail in the locations including a small flower in the field or something is symbolic. Most notably in a shrine for Phil’s mentor named Bronco Henry as he would tell stories about his exploits as it serves as this idea of what Phil wants to maintain with his cowhands who are also this embodiment of intense masculinity. Even as there is that moment where Phil notices some flowers made out of paper that Peter had created and burns it up as a form of intimidation and mocking.
There are also these shots that play into the tension between Rose and Phil such as a scene of the latter trying to play a piano piece with Phil on the floor above play that same piece with his banjo as a form of intimidation. Campion also play up the tension during a key scene where Phil and his cowhands are on the river with Phil at another location in the forest by himself where Peter makes this major discovery. This revelation for the second half is where Phil realizes that he and Peter are a lot alike in the way they see things but also that Peter is a lot stronger than both Phil and Rose would believe as Peter is fascinated by the idea of what it’s like to be a cowboy. For Rose, it’s a terrifying idea as she becomes more troubled and fearful as it adds some chaos in the film’s third act. It is Peter’s actions in the third act in what he’s learned from Phil is key to this unexpected bond between these two men who don’t feel like they belong in the modern world despite the things that Peter is studying yet he’s more intrigued by a world that is much simpler and uncompromising. Overall, Campion crafts a ravishing yet captivating film about a tough rancher’s encounter with his new sister-in-law and her effeminate son.
Cinematographer Ari Wegner does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its emphasis on natural lighting for many of the exteriors including some scenes in the forests are just gorgeous to watch while many of the nighttime interior scenes are used with available light to help set a mood. Editor Peter Sciberras does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the drama as well as some of the dramatic tension that occurs within the film. Production designer Grant Major, with supervising art director Mark Robins plus set decorators Gareth Edwards and Amber Richards, does amazing work with the look of the ranch and its interiors with how spacious the dining room is as well as Phil’s room that he shared with George and some of the exteriors including the stable where Phil keeps a lot of Bronco Henry’s possessions. Costume designer Kirsty Cameron does fantastic work with the costumes from the golden dress Rose wears to a dinner with the governor and others to the more rough-clothing and chaps that Phil and his cowhands wear.
Hair and makeup designer Noriko Watanabe does terrific work with the look of the characters from the dirty look of Phil as well as the hairstyle of the women during those times. Special effects supervisor Brendan Durey and visual effects supervisor Jason Hawkins do nice work with some of the effects as it relates to some of the horse riding and a few bits of set dressing for some scenes. Sound editor Robert Mackenzie and sound designer Dave Whitehead do brilliant work with the sound in the way cows and horses sound from afar as well as other sparse moments including the comb that Peter carries along with musical instruments as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Jonny Greenwood is phenomenal as its usage of discordant strings, eerie piano pieces, and lush orchestral string pieces add to the drama as it is a major highlight of the film while music supervisor Andrew Kotatko bring in a few classical and folk pieces that are performed in the film.
The casting by Nikki Barrett, Tina Cleary, Carmen Cuba, and Nina Gold is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles from Alice Englert as a young hooker who dances with a cowhand, Adam Beach as a Native American that wants to buy one of Phil’s rawhide, Maeson Stone Skuccedal as the Native American’s son, Sean Keenan and George Mason as a couple of Phil’s cowhands, Alice Bruce as the governor’s wife who is eager to meet Phil, Keith Carradine as the governor who is fascinated by Phil’s workmanship, Peter Carroll and Frances Conroy as Phil and George’s parents who are eager to see Rose in welcoming her to the family, Genevieve Lemon as the housekeeper Mrs. Lewis who kind of runs the ranch while telling Rose on a few house rules, and Thomasin McKenzie in a fantastic small role as the young maid Lola who works at the house and help Rose in a few things. Jesse Plemons is marvelous as George Burbank as Phil’s younger brother who is a more educated and kinder person than Phil as he would marry Rose as a way to have his own life instead of being intimidated by his brother.
Kirsten Dunst is incredible as Rose Gordon as a restauranteur who is intimidated by Phil as she is troubled by his presence that drives her to drink while becomes protective of Peter when he starts to befriend Phil where she does something that would upset them both. Kodi Smit-McPhee is phenomenal as Peter Gordon as a young man who has this effeminate presentation to him in the fact that he’s also very skinny yet Smit-McPhee makes Peter a far more intriguing individual who would do things that Rose would not approve of but Phil might’ve as well as show that he’s willing to learn as it play into his own ideas of life lessons. Finally, there’s Benedict Cumberbatch in a magnificent performance as Phil Burbank as a rancher who is more content with doing work with the ranch and living a rough and tumble lifestyle as he is wary at Rose believing she is being disruptive but takes a liking towards Peter in the film’s second half as there is this ambiguity and complexity to Cumberbatch’s performance that can be chilling but also has this air of sensitivity that is definitely a career-defining performance for Cumberbatch.
The Power of the Dog is an outstanding film from Jane Campion that features phenomenal performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Kirsten Dunst. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous locations, ravishing visuals, Jonny Greenwood’s unsettling score, a chilling soundtrack, and its themes on masculinity in an ever-changing world. It is a film that doesn’t play by the conventions of what it means to be a man or how to be one in a world that is removed from conventional society but rather to take an identity and own it no matter how hard society can hit. In the end, The Power of the Dog is a tremendous film from Jane Campion.
Jane Campion Films: Sweetie - An Angel at My Table - The Piano - The Portrait of a Lady - Holy Smoke! - In the Cut - Bright Star - Top of the Lake (Season 1) - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) – The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion
© thevoid99 2022
The film revolves around a young woman who goes to London to study fashion as her love for the 1960s has her transported to that time where she meets an aspiring singer whom she believed would later be killed by her pimp. It is a film that explore a woman’s obsession for a period in time she had never lived in where she finds herself going back in the 1960s where she follows the life of a young aspiring singer who ends up going into a dark path that lead to her death as she wants to know who killed this young woman. The film’s screenplay by Edgar Wright and Kristy Wilson-Cairns follows the desire of its protagonist Eloise “Ellie” Turner (Thomasin McKenzie) who has largely been raised by her grandmother Margaret “Peggy” Turner (Rita Tushingham) following the death of her mother when Ellie was a kid. Ellie’s love for 60s fashion, music, films, and culture has her wanting to go to London where she gets accepted to the London College of Fashion. Yet, she is mocked for her taste by her snobbish roommate Jacosta (Synnove Karlsen) though she does befriend another student in John (Michael Ajao).
Ellie would then accept an open invitation to live in the house of an old woman in Ms. Collins (Diana Rigg) upon she pays rent where she takes a job at a pub where the first night she stayed at the house. She is transported to the 1960s where she meets Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy) who goes to a club where she catches the attention of a man named Jack (Matt Smith) who promises her the chance to be a singer at another club. Yet, things don’t go well as Ellie suspects this silver-haired old man (Terence Stamp) as Jack who keeps following Ellie claiming she looked like someone he recognized after Ellie had dyed her hair blonde. Adding to the chaos that Ellie endures is that she has strange visions that are probably connected to the fact that her mother was a schizophrenic as she starts to see things including ghosts that also includes a ghost of her mother (Aimee Cassettari). Through what Ellie sees with Sandie, it does commentate on the roles women had to play in order to reach their dreams as there is a feminist commentary about what Sandie had to endure and Ellie is dealing with as it relates to Sandie’s own plight.
Wright’s direction definitely owes a lot to films from the 1960s including the British cinema of that period where it is shot on location in London and in the Soho area as well as areas outside of London where Wright manages to showcase the Soho area of what it looked like in the 1960s and how it looked like in the 2020s. Wright’s usage of the wide and medium shots do capture a lot of detail into these locations as they are characters in the film as is the London College of Fashion as it showcases a modern world that is trying to distance itself from the past with Ellie being this anomaly who prefers the music of the past than what everyone else is into. Even as she is treated terribly by Jacosta forcing her to sleep outside of her room where there’s a party while John accidentally drank her can of Coke. Wright’s direction definitely knows when to play into the drama and some of the humor though the film opens in a light-hearted manner of Ellie dancing wearing a newspaper dress she created.
Wright’s usage of close-ups do add to the drama and suspense as the first shot of Ellie meeting Sandie in a mirror and how much they mimic each other in that sequence showcase Wright’s flair for style in the dancing where both Sandie and Ellie are dancing with Jack. It is among these images along with these fantasy scenes of Ellie trying to save Sandie whose dream to be a singer doesn’t go as planned as it is this reality that Ellie has a hard time coping. Even as things begin to blur in the third act where Ellie sees ghosts as she wonders if she is crazy or is she really seeing something that really did happen to Sandie. It all play into the roles women had to play then to get what they want in life but also the compromises they made where Ms. Collins would warn Ellie that a lot of bad things happened in London in the 1960s but people prefer not to talk about it. Overall, Wright crafts a thrilling and evocative film about a young woman who goes back to the 1960s to avenge the murder of a young woman from that period.
Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish usage of lighting to play up the Soho-London nightlife of both the 1960s and 2020s as well as emphasizing on natural lighting for some of the daytime interior/exterior scenes including at the classroom where Ellie and other students try to create their own fashion designs. Editor Paul Machliss does excellent work with the editing with its stylish usage of fast-cuts as well as montages to play into some of the chaos that both Ellie and Sandie would endure. Production designer Marcus Rowland, with set decorator Judy Farr and supervising art director Tim Blake, does amazing work with the look of the room that Ellie rents as well as Ms. Collins’ home as well as some of the places in the 60s including the ballrooms. Costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux does fantastic work with the costumes from some of the homemade clothes that Ellie has created including her casual clothing to some of the stylish clothes that Sandie wears.
Hair/makeup designer Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou does nice work with the look of the characters from the hairstyle that Sandie has as well as the different hairstyles that Ellie would sport as well as the look of the characters in the 60s and the Halloween party scene. Special effects supervisor Stephen Hutchinson and visual effects supervisor Gary J. Brown do terrific work with the visual effects in some of the effects as it relates to Ellie and Sandie looking at each other in the mirror as well as the design of the ghosts that Ellie sees. Sound designer Ben Meechan, with sound editors Dan Morgan and Julian Slater, does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations and settings as well as the effects as it play into this blur of reality and fantasy.
The film’s music by Steven Price is wonderful for its orchestral score as it feature some low-key themes as well as some bombastic string-based pieces for some of the suspense while music supervisor Kirsten Lane creates an incredible music soundtrack that features pieces by Sandie Shaw, Cilla Black, Peter & Gordon, the Who, the Kinks, the Searchers, Dusty Springfield, John Barry, the Graham Bond Organization, the Walker Brothers, R. Dean Taylor, James Ray, Barry Ryan, Rory Gallagher, and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich as well as non-60s music pieces from Siouxsie & the Banshees and Anya Taylor-Joy singing a couple of 1960s classics.
The casting by Nina Gold and Martin Ware is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles from James and Oliver Phelps as cloakroom attendants, Michael Jibson and Lisa McGrillis as a couple of detective Ellie goes to in the third act, Beth Singh as the famed singer Cilla Black, Pauline McLynn as the bar-owner Carol that hires Ellie, Aimee Cassettari as Ellie’s mother, Elizabeth Berrington as Ellie’s professor, the trio of Jessie Mei Li, Kassius Nelson, and Rebecca Harrod as Jacosta’s friends, Sam Claflin as a punter that Sandie meets in a montage, and Margaret Nolan in her final film performance in a brief performance as a barmaid at a club that Sandie works at. Synnove Karlsen is terrific as the snobbish Jacosta who is briefly Ellie’s roommate who thinks Ellie is homely and the embodiment of uncool. Rita Tushingham is fantastic as Ellie’s grandmother Peggy as a woman who encourages Ellie to reach her dream but also remind her that there is always need for help.
Michael Ajao is excellent as John as a fashion student that Ellie befriends as he is one of the few kind people she meets as he is also concerned about Ellie’s behavior yet does believe that her claims are true. Terence Stamp is brilliant as the silver-haired man who follows Ellie in Soho after she dyed her hair blonde because she reminds him of someone where Stamp brings that ambiguity into his identity yet is someone that isn’t fond of the past. Matt Smith is amazing as Jack as a man who frequents at clubs who promises Sandie all of the things to expect only to use her for his own financial means as he has this devilish charm to him that is also menacing. In her final film performance, Diana Rigg’s role as the landlady Ms. Collins is truly an incredible finale for the famed British film/TV icon as this old woman who is fascinated by Ellie but also harbor secrets of her own as there is a charm to her but also someone who lived in the 1960s through its good times and bad times as it is really a performance that for the ages with Rigg at least going out a winner.
Finally, there’s the duo of Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie in phenomenal performance in their respective roles as Sandie and Ellie. Taylor-Joy’s performance as the aspiring singer with a sense of style in Sandie is one of charisma and energy as someone who has a lot of talent but is unable to deal with the harsh realities of the world as it lead to some dark turns. McKenzie’s performance as the fashion student in Ellie is a more reserved character who prefers the music and culture of the 1960s than today’s culture as she deals with being in the 1960s and later what happened to Sandie where McKenzie sells a lot of the sense of fear but also someone who wants to bring some kind of justice towards a world when women didn’t have a lot of choices.
Last Night in Soho is a sensational film from Edgar Wright that features great performances from Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy as well as a towering finale from Diana Rigg. Along with its ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, story of reality and fantasy in a world dominated by men, and a phenomenal music soundtrack. The film is definitely a riveting and genre-bending thriller that explores a young woman’s fascination with the past only to realize that there were also a lot of dark things that happened that would repress another young woman from reaching her dreams. In the end, Last Night in Soho is a spectacular film from Edgar Wright.
Edgar Wright Films: (A Fistful of Fingers) – Shaun of the Dead - Hot Fuzz - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - The World's End - Baby Driver - The Sparks Brothers
© thevoid99 2021
Based on the novel My Abandonment by Peter Rock, Leave No Trace is the story of a PTSD war veteran who lives in the woods with his teenage daughter as they hide from society until they’re found as they struggle to adjust with the modern world. Directed by Debra Granik and screenplay by Granik and Anne Rosellini, the film is an exploration of a father trying to protect his daughter from the horrors of modern-day society as well as trying to find a place they can call home. Starring Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie, Jeff Kober, and Dale Dickey. Leave No Trace is a rapturous and somber film from Debra Granik.
The film is the simple story of a PTSD war veteran who lives in seclusion in the woods with his daughter as they are eventually found and taken into the modern world as the man struggles with his new surroundings though his daughter is intrigued by it. It’s a film with a simple premise as screenwriters Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini as there isn’t a lot of heavy dialogue in favor of its main protagonists in Will (Ben Foster) and his daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) just living their life in the woods as the first act is about their life in the woods and how Will makes money to get supplies as it involves him and Tom going into the city where Will gets meds and sell them to the other troubled veterans. When Tom is accidentally discovered by a hiker, everything changes as the second act has the two evaluated and given a home where Will begrudgingly works for a Christmas tree farmer. It is there where Will and Tom’s relationship changes as the latter slowly befriends people and finds a community but Will’s own troubles forces them to flee as uncertainty becomes the norm. Even as Will and Tom struggle to find a new home despite the latter’s need for stability.
Granik’s direction is entrancing for not just the visuals she creates but also in the atmosphere she maintains in this battle of nature vs. the modern world as a backdrop between the relationship between father and daughter. Shot largely on location in Oregon with Portland being the city, the film does use a lot of wide shots not just to establish the locations but also in creating some unique compositions as it relates to the disconnect between Will and Tom and their own encounter with society. Even as it play into the growing separation between father and daughter as it relates to their encounter with the world. Granik also brings some intimacy into the medium shots and close-ups as the latter help play into the sense of fear and uncertainty that Will and Tom would face. Even as they also try to adjust to living at home where Will becomes uneasy with his new surroundings that includes a shot of a helicopter flying above him carrying trees.
Granik also maintains that atmosphere during the second act where Will and Tom return to their old home only to realize it’s gone while other people who were living nearby also lose their homes. Granik maintains that realism into the struggle to find a home within the woods away from modern society and cities but there is also this uncertainty into what they will find. The film’s third act has Granik showcase an alternative where Will and Tom don’t have to be in society but also a place that is stable and with a community of its own. It is a community that does feel like it isn’t totally disconnected from the modern world but offers a haven for someone like Will who continues to struggle with PTSD. Yet, Granik focuses on this father/daughter relationship that is trying to stay together but there are things that Will is unable to handle while Tom is eager to be part of something as its ending is about a father and daughter making a decision about the future and salvation for both of them. Overall, Granik crafts a heart-wrenching yet riveting film about a father-and-daughter trying to live their life away from the trappings of modern society.
Cinematographer Michael McDonough does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its approach to natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes with a few filters for some of the scenes set in the rain along with low-key lighting for some of the interior scenes. Editor Jane Rizzo does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few jump-cuts for dramatic purposes as well as rhythmic cuts to play into the reaction of the characters. Production designer Chad Keith, with set decorator Vanessa Knoll and art director Jonathan Guggenheim, does amazing work with the look of the home that Will and Tom lived in at the woods as well as the house they would briefly stay in as it play into the contrast of the two worlds they encounter.
Costume designer Erin Aldridge Orr does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with casual clothes including knitted clothing and hats that both Will and Tom wear. Sound editor Damian Volpe does superb work with the sound to maintain that air of natural atmosphere of the locations in the woods as well as the chaotic sounds of the city. The film’s music by Dickon Hinchliffe is incredible for its rich mixture of folk and ambient music as it play into the air of uncertainty and drama that Will and Tom endure in their journey while music supervisor Susan Jacobs provide a soundtrack that features elements of folk and indie that feature contributions from Michael Hurley and Marisa Anderson who both appear in the film as musicians in the film’s third act and Kendra Smith with a song that appears in the film’s final credits.
The casting by Kerry Barden, Simon Max Hill, and Paul Schnee is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Isiah Stone as a teenage farm boy that Tom befriends, Derek John Drescher as a homeless veteran Will does business with, Michael Prosser as Will’s social worker, Dana Millican as Tom’s social worker, David M. Pittman as a former Army medic in the film’s third act that helps Will, Jeff Kober as a tree farm owner, and Dale Dickey in a terrific small role as a trailer park owner in the film’s third act who helps Will and Tom find a new home as well as a stable lifestyle. Finally, there’s the duo of Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Will and Tom. Foster brings that ragged tone to his character that is full of anguish and regret as a man that is trying to live away from society as he is unable to handle with a lot of the things that hurts him. McKenzie’s performance is the most revelatory as this young woman who had little encounter with the outside world and society yet finds some of its value as it relates to community and a sense of belonging. Even as she manages to be natural in her reaction to things while she has a great rapport with Foster as it adds to the understated tone of her performance.
Leave No Trace is a magnificent film from Debra Granik that features tremendous performances from Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, minimalist story, a somber music score, and a study of a father/daughter relationship against the ideas of the modern world. It’s a film that explore two people living away from the trappings of society as they later cope with the modern world and what it would offer with one struggling to be part of and another wanting to be part of it. In the end, Leave No Trace is an outstanding film from Debra Granik.
Debra Granik Films: Down to the Bone - Winter's Bone - (Stray Dog (2014 film))
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the novel Caging Skies by Christine Luenens, Jojo Rabbit is the story of a young German boy who joins the Hitler Youth camp during the waning years of World War II as he learns his mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Written for the screen, directed, and co-starring Taika Waititi as Adolf Hitler, the film is a satirical comedy about a boy who has Adolf Hitler as his imaginary friend as he struggles with his ideals upon learning what his mother is hiding while trying to understand the realities of war and tolerance. Also starring Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Thomasin McKenzie, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Archie Yates, and Stephen Merchant. Jojo Rabbit is a witty yet rapturous film from Taika Waititi.
Set during the final months of World War II in a small German village, the film revolves around a boy who is a Nazi fanatic as he spends time at home following an accident in camp where he learns that his mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. It’s a film that is a coming-of-age story for this 10 year old boy who had just lost his older sister to influenza and his father was last to be heard fighting in Italy where he copes with not just all of the things he has been taught but also becoming conflicted with what he’s discovered knowing that his mother would be in big trouble. Taika Waititi’s screenplay does follow a straightforward narrative yet it’s more of a study of a boy coming to terms with this rhetoric of hate, race-purity, and all of these things that Adolf Hitler is spouting. The protagonist Johannes “Jojo” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) is someone that grew up on Nazi propaganda as he is convinced his father is still alive and fighting for the Nazis while is eager to fit in by joining the Hitler Youth camp.
Jojo doesn’t just cope with the rhetoric of the Nazis with a buffoonish version of Adolf Hitler as his imaginary friend but also the realization that his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish teenage girl in Elsa Korr (Thomasin McKenzie) who was a classmate of Jojo’s sister. Rosie has a different view on the world that is more hopeful as she sees taking Elsa into her home just to save someone’s life. Jojo also befriends Captain Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell) who was a Wehrmacht official that would run the Hitler Youth camp where Jojo had an accident as he gets demoted to run the town’s Nazi headquarters as he is a unique character as someone that is becoming disillusioned while starts to care about Jojo as he feels that Jojo should just be a kid and not a Nazi. Once Jojo gets to know Elsa, he realizes that Jews aren’t as different as Germans as his friendship with Hitler starts to become more troubling.
Waititi’s direction does bear elements of style yet it his approach to humor and drama that really sticks out during the course of the film. Shot on various locations in the Czech Republic including areas near Prague, the film does recreate mid-1940s Nazi Germany at a time when the war is in the favor of the Allies instead of Nazi Germany but many of its locals aren’t aware or don’t want to know. Waititi creates an opening credits sequence that play into Jojo’s fascination with Hitler as this messianic figure with the Beatles’ Komm, gib mir deine Hand playing in the background that recall similarities to craziness of Beatlemania in the 1960s with an array of stock footage including propaganda films by Leni Riefenstahl. Much of Waititi’s approach to compositions are straightforward in the way he presents Jojo’s fascination with the world as well as his encounters with Nazi officials and Elsa. Waititi’s usage of the wide shots do play into this disconnect between Jojo’s idea of what Elsa and who Elsa really is as they would eventually closer as does the framing device in Waititi’s direction.
Waititi’s direction also emphasizes on this air of drama and tragedy into the events that would change Jojo’s view on the world where Waititi is more about what he doesn’t show than what would be shown. Notably as it play into some of the cruelty of reality that Jojo is unaware of that Hitler is trying to shield him from. Especially as he wants Jojo to stay on this course of hateful rhetoric as his character would progress from being silly to darkly comical towards its third act. Even as Jojo becomes aware of the reality where he starts to care for Elsa and wants nothing bad happen to her as even his friend Yorkie (Archie Yates) starts to be aware of the realities of what is going on. There is also this air of surreal and darkly comic imagery and situations that occur in its climax that involve children carrying grenades and young girls with machine guns as it does play into the many fallacies of war. Especially in the eyes of a 10-year old boy who realizes that there is so much the world has to offer than the stupid ideas of hate from a buffoonish dictator. Overall, Waititi crafts a touching and exhilarating film about a German boy’s journey to discover a world that isn’t filled with fanaticism and ideas of hate.
Cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. does amazing work with the film’s cinematography as it features an array of lush colors for many of the daytime exterior locations as well as the emphasis on natural lighting for some of the interior scenes and low-key usage of lighting for scenes at night. Editor Tom Eagles does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts and rhythmic cuts to play into some of the film’s humor as well as some of the dramatic moments in the film. Production designer Ra Vincent, with set decorator Nora Sopkova plus art directors Radek Hanak and Ondrej Lipensky, does excellent work with the look of the home that Jojo and Rosie live in as well as the Nazi headquarters that Captain Klenzendorf works at. Costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo does fantastic work with the costumes in the design of the Nazi uniforms as well as the clothes that Rosie wears including her shoes and a robot cardboard costume that Jojo wears during one of his volunteer assignments.
Hair/makeup designer Danielle Satherley does terrific work with the look of Hitler as well as Captain Klenzendorf with his one eye. Visual effects supervisor Jason Chen does nice work with some of the visual effects as it is largely minimal for a few things that Jojo sees including a shot of how he feels about Elsa. Sound designers Ai-Ling Lee and Tobias Poppe do superb work with the sound as it capture the array of how bombs, grenades, and machine guns sound as well as the atmosphere of war and quieter scenes in the film. The film’s music by Michael Giacchino is incredible for its usage of strings and percussions that include military march pieces as well as some somber moments that play into the drama. The film’s music soundtrack features a diverse array of music that include music pieces that was played in those times like Johann Strauss, the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra with Roger Wagner Corale, Ella Fitzgerald with the Chick Webb Orchestra, Lecuona Cuban Boys, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as anachronistic music pieces by Tom Waits, Roy Orbison, Love, and two well-known rock songs in German by the Beatles and David Bowie.
The casting by Des Hamilton and Maya Kvetny is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Luke Brandon Field and Sam Haygarth as a couple Hitler Youth camp counselors bullying Jojo, Gilby and Hardy Griffin Davis as a couple of young clones, and the quartet of Joe Weintraub, Brian Caspe, Gabriel Andrews, and Billy Rayner as members of the Gestapo. Archie Yates is terrific as Jojo’s best friend Yorkie as a young kid who joins the Hitler Youth camp as he makes some funny comments while being a completely innocent child that starts to realize not everything about being a Nazi feels right. Alfie Allen is superb as Captain Klenzendorf’s second-in-command Finkel who helps out with tasks while being aware that Germany is losing the war. Rebel Wilson is fantastic as Fraulein Rahm as a Hitler Youth instructor who believes blindly in what Hitler does while saying some of the dumbest things out there.
Stephen Merchant is excellent as the Gestapo agent Deertz as a man trying to find Jews as he also admires Jojo’s bedroom. Sam Rockwell is brilliant as Captain Klenzendorf as a once-revered captain who has become disillusioned by the war as he agrees to run the Hitler Youth camp only for an incident to go wrong where he tries to mount a strategy for what is to come while trying to be a good person to those around him including Jojo whom he cares about. Taika Waititi is amazing as Adolf Hitler as this buffoonish version of the Nazi Germany leader who encourages Jojo to do silly things in the name of Nazi Germany while becoming frustrated about his growing friendship with Elsa.
Scarlett Johansson is remarkable as Rosie Betzler as Jojo’s mother who is the opposite of everything Hitler is about as Johansson displays some wit and charm into her role but also a warmth that is touching as it is one of her finest performances to date. Thomasin McKenzie is incredible as Elsa Korr as a teenage Jewish girl hiding in an attic as she was a classmate of Jojo’s late sister as she deals with her situation while befriending Jojo despite his Nazi fanaticism. Finally, there’s Roman Griffin Davis in a marvelous performance as Johannes “Jojo” Betzler as 10-year old boy trying to do his part for Nazi Germany and Hitler as he later contends with his mother’s secret as well as the realities of the world as it has elements of humor but also an anguish into what he would deal with as it is a major highlight of the film.
Jojo Rabbit is a tremendous film from Taika Waititi that features phenomenal performances from Waititi, Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, and Sam Rockwell. Along with Michael Giacchino’s offbeat music score, themes of fanaticism, war, and hope, dazzling visuals, and a great mixture of humor and drama. The film is definitely a touching and satirical film that explores the fallacies of hate and war while it is seen in the eyes of a child who would befriend a Jewish girl who helps him realize that love and kindness are the keys to life. In the end, Jojo Rabbit is a spectacular film from Taika Waititi.
Taika Waititi Films: Two Cars, One Night - Eagle vs. Shark - Boy (2010 film) - What We Do in the Shadows - Hunt for the Wilderpeople - Thor: Ragnarok - Thor: Love and Thunder - Next Goal Wins (2023 film) - (Klara and the Sun) - The Auteurs #64: Taika Waititi
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