In today’s class, we analyzed a scene from Taika Waititi’s 2019 film, Jojo Rabbit, where Stephen Merchant’s character, Captain Herman Klenzendorf, arrives to inspect Jojo’s home. The resulting scene showcases Waititi’s use of context and tone to build a subtle tension that builds rapidly with each character beat.
In the events before the scene unfolds, Jojo has recently discovered that his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), is secretly harboring a young Jewish girl, Elsa Korr, in the family’s attic. Jojo is grappling with this discovery, torn between his ingrained Nazi beliefs and the reality of Elsa as a person. He’s been having increasingly complex and less overtly hateful conversations with Elsa, fueled by a combination of fear of her being discovered and his own growing curiosity.
The film sets us up by showing that Jojo is still trying to navigate his life as a devoted member of the Hitler Youth while coping with his new discovery. He’s also dealing with the absence of his father, who is supposedly away fighting in the war. The atmosphere in Jojo’s household is a mix of forced normalcy on the surface, maintained by Rosie, and underlying anxiety due to the secret in the attic. Jojo is trying to keep Elsa’s presence hidden from everyone.
In summary, Jojo is living with the dangerous secret of Elsa in his attic while at the same time his loyalty to the Nazi regime is being challenged, a;; while his mother is living a double life of outward conformity and secret resistance. As such, the arrival of a high-ranking officer like Klenzendorf creates immediate suspense and the potential for Jojo’s secret to be exposed.
The scene that follows is a carefully orchestrated sequence that utilizes a range of conventions to create a compelling and suspenseful encounter, blending the film’s signature dark humor with genuine moments of threat and anxiety. Effective performances by Merchant, Sam Rockwell (Captain Klenzendorf), Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo) and Thomasin McKenzie (Elsa) add depth and complexity to the scene. It’s a prime example of how effective film making can amplify the emotional impact of a pivotal moment in the narrative.
Jojo Rabbit won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, while also being nominated for five other Oscars, including Best Picture, at the 92nd Academy Awards.