Most people didn't know of Jojo Rabbit before the film won the People's Choice Award at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. Surprise and puzzlement were the primary emotions. After all, the People's Choice Award had become a bellwether for Oscar contenders such as Green Book.
Now, Jojo Rabbit is one of the most talked-about films this fall. The film has had a limited run in theatres in the United States and Canada.
Unlike a lot of American mainstream films but like a lot of Canadian films, Jojo Rabbit has the same writer and director: Taika Waititi, who adapted the Christine Leunens novel for the screenplay.
Waititi, who also plays Adolf Hitler in the film, has been around for awhile with films such as Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and What We Do in the Shadows.
Waititi comes from New Zealand, so he knows what it is like to overcome perceptions, similar issues to Canadians.
Canadian film review: The Twentieth Century
2018 WIFF Canadian films in review
Jojo Rabbit shows that an unusual atypical film can be successful. The Twentieth Century, which we reviewed last week, and Level 16 from last fall, are unusual atypical Canadian films.
Marketing and publicity are the pitfalls for Canadian film. Waititi got on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. The film features well-known actors such as Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Rebel Wilson.
We've seen the English-speaking world get excited over Canadian television with Schitt's Creek and Orphan Black. We've seen the French-speaking world get excited over Xavier Dolan films such as J'ai tué ma mère and Mommy.
2019 TIFF Canadian film wrapup
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
We had a Canadian film open the Toronto International Film Festival for the first time in 9 years. Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band got more publicity before the festival. Jojo Rabbit got more publicity after the festival.
Jojo Rabbit also had controversy of sorts with Waititi playing Adolf Hitler. Buffoonish at times but also serious, Waititi appears to play Hitler through the mind of the lead, a 10-year-old boy. You get a better sense of the nuance of Waititi's portrayal once you've seen the film. Getting there may be difficult for some potential movie patrons.
The controversy does keep the film fresh in people's minds, even if they haven't seen the film.
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Canada does get a chance to get a film on the international stage through the Best Foreign Language Film category. Canada has squandered that opportunity in the last 2 cycles. We will weigh in soon on Antigone, the entry for the next Academy Awards.
Perhaps we are being too unfair. Canada makes quieter films — good, bad, and okay. Canada might not be able to make a film as loud and brash and yet as sweet as Jojo Rabbit. You don't need Adolf Hitler to draw attention to a film.
The good news is that films such as Jojo Rabbit show that awkward, unusual films can break through, even if they are Canadian. Canadian films can utilise the home-field advantage that is the Toronto International Film Festival. Imagine a year where the People's Choice Award goes to a Canadian film and then people in the United States talk about that film as if the film is one of their own.
photo credit: Jojo Rabbit poster
video credit: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah/Comedy Central
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