Jojo Rabbit

The film centres around a blindly fanatical 10-year-old Nazi, Jojo, in the final days of World War II. While his mother (Scarlett Johansson - Avengers) tries to explain that he can be a patriot and against the war, she has no idea how deep his fervour runs, or that he has Adolf Hitler as an imaginary friend! When Jojo finds a Jewish girl hiding in his house, he knows he should turn her in for immediate execution. But when she threatens to turn in his mother if he does, he knows that his mother would be executed too, leaving them in an awkward stalemate. Jojo tries to turn the situation into his advantage by learning all he can about the Jewish people (to help the cause), though the more he learns, the more he questions why they have to die in the first place…

The leader of the Third Reich is a surprisingly supportive, cheery and laidback fellow, played by none other than Taika Waititi, the director of the film, and also of the offbeat comedy, Thor: Ragnarok. Both the young leads give exceptional performances, and it is their interaction and growing understanding of each other that drives this film (and provides plenty of laughs). If you thought a reflective and intelligent comedy couldn’t be mixed with Nazis, you need to watch this!

Natalie Tyldesley-Marshall