SEATTLE — Jojo Rabbit is the story of a little boy and his imaginary best friend: Adolf Hitler.
Set at the end of World War Two, 10-year-old Jojo is a lonely kid who identifies as a member of the Nazi Youth to fit in. It’s a satire with slapstick comedy and heart wrenching drama, filtered through the mind of a child.
The stars admit, they still have trouble explaining it to people.
"It sounded crazy,” Scarlett Johansson said. “But the script itself was such a beautiful piece of work, it was perfectly written. You knew it was going to work right away."
She plays Jojo's mother. When he discovers she’s hiding a Jewish girl in their home, the film becomes an inventive, hilarious, and totally unexpected coming-of-age story.
The film was written and directed by Taika Waititi, who also plays Hitler. The New Zealand native is of Maori and Russian Jewish descent, and relished the poetic justice of playing a ridiculous version of the dictator.
“Isn't it nice? Isn't it satisfying?" he said. "I saw just how ridiculous it looked and it was really empowering. It made me feel like, 'Oh, I can actually own this person's body and make them do what I want."
He often directed scenes wearing his Hitler garb.
"I think he knew that he kind of had to keep his cool because it was extra-frightening if he lost his cool,” said Alfie Allen, who plays an officer training the Hitler Youth.
Roman Griffin Davis, who plays Jojo, added, "Sometimes it was weird because he's so nice, he'd be like ‘Hi!’ And you'd be like... you're Hitler.”
The film's absurdist humor seems light at times but ultimately it reflects the darker absurdity of Nazis and their worldview.
“As soon as you start picking holes in the Nazi belief system, it falls apart,” said Stephen Merchant, who plays a captain in the Gestapo. “And I think humor is a great way of exploring that."
Waititi believes that's the true power of comedy.
"It relaxes people and opens them up and they let their guards down and instead of watching like this, the art films, they open up and the receptors are more receptive,” he said. “And then you hand them the message that fascism is bad."
Jojo Rabbit is rated PG-13 and is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Travel and accommodations provided by Fox Searchlight.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.