| “ | Jojo Betzler. Ten and a half years old. Today, just do what you can. | „ |
| ~ Jojo Betzler. |
| “ | F**k off Hiter. | „ |
| ~ Jojo's final words to imaginary Hitler before kicking him out the window. |
Johannes "Jojo Rabbit" Betzler is the titular main protagonist of the 2019 black comedy film Jojo Rabbit. A lonely Hitler Youth member who sought to fit in with his Nazi peers in the final days of World War II, Jojo espoused the Nazis' jingoistic ideology in his day-to-day life, much to the dismay of his mother Rosie and the delight of his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler, a childish caricature of the dictator that Jojo idolized.
When Jojo learned that his mother hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa Korr in their attic, he became at first distraught because he saw Elsa's presence as a threat to a lifestyle he had grown comfortable with, but could not alert the Gestapo because doing so would have resulted in Rosie's execution. Yet by befriending Elsa through his interrogations, Jojo realized his social insecurity and that Rosie was right to disapprove of his xenophobic beliefs, coming to blows with Hitler in the process. Jojo eventually found his mother hanged by the Nazis after a Gestapo inspection of their home one day, in which Elsa revealed herself and pretended to be Jojo's older sister, Inge, who had earlier died from the flu.
By the film's conclusion, Jojo fully abandoned the Nazism he grew up with and found himself caught in a defensive battle between the Nazis and the Allied powers closing in on his town. He and his friend Yorki survived the military ordeal, and with World War II in Europe over, Jojo kicked his imaginary "friend" out the window of his room before starting a dance with Elsa.
He is portrayed by Roman Griffin Davis in his first movie role.
History[]
Background[]
To be added
Training with the Hitlerjugend[]
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Meeting Elsa[]
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Abandoning his beliefs[]
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The end of the war[]
| “ | JOJO: Nothing makes sense anymore. YORKI: Yeah, I know, it's definitely not a good time to be a Nazi. |
„ |
| ~ Jojo and Yorki. |
To be added
Personality[]
Jojo is a young boy who's goal at the start of the movie is to become a full-fledged member of the Nazi regime. He swears he'll do whatever it takes to become one, including hunting and exposing Jews. This is due to the Nazi propaganda and fear-mongering tactics he's been exposed to rather than his true feelings. Jojo's actual nature is that of a naive and innocent child who wants to feel like he belongs somewhere, with the closest thing to that being the Nazi regime. He initially idolised Adolf Hitler, however, in reality knew very little about him, therefore his imaginary "friend" Adolf had details inaccurate - such as him eating unicorn meat, even though he was a vegetarian (unicorns not being real is also a trace of inaccuracy) - with the only truths being Adolf's belief in German supremacy and antisemitism.
Despite initially being hostile when first meeting Elsa due to her being a Jew, he grows to care about her and even develops feelings for the girl. This revelation and his further interactions with her made him start to question his beliefs and everything he's been taught up to that point about Jews and other races being inferior to the Germans. By the end of the movie, his relationship with Elsa and the teachings his mother shared with him ultimately shifted his perspective and made him a compassionate and empathetic boy who completely rejected the hate-filled beliefs of the Nazi party; as his worldview changed, the relationship with imaginary Adolf shifted from a positive if toxic friendship, into one where Adolf began acting abusive, before ultimately Jojo saw him for what he truly was, a pathetic coward that exploited others to compensate for his own weaknesses, ergo Jojo discarded the false friend.
Although, he is still a child, thus prone to irrational emotional actions. Upon finding his mother executed by the Nazis for her resistance, he took a knife and almost stabbed Elsa, blaming her for his mother's demise; although, he lacked actual malice, thereby when she called his bluff by allowing the blade to pierce her slightly, he backed away in sorrow. Likewise, as he grew to love Elsa, he also became dependent upon her, since his mother's death meant he had no one else; when Germany surrendered, he kept it secret due to not wanting to lose her and end up alone, but again due to being a decent person at heart, he confessed about his impulsive deception, no longer standing in the way of her previously oppressed freedom.
Trivia[]
- In the book, Jojo keeps Elsa prisoner for years after the war, as unlike the film where it was shown that an indoctrinated person can be redeemed, the book explored how a brainwashed person wouldn't be broken out of their bigotries as they continue to exert the cruelty taught by a totalitarian regime even after the regime itself had fallen.
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