Parasite might have infected the Oscars, but the winner of my heart is JoJo Rabbit

Parasite might have infected the Oscars, but the winner of my heart is JoJo Rabbit

by:Jess Berghofer

~Includes spoilers~

I set out on a mission to view all the Academy Award Nominations for Best Picture and mission accomplished. To put simply, wow. I had an eye popping, head-scratcher watching Parasite. I watched the beautiful and nostalgic tale of Little Women. Had an emotional bomb drop watching 1917. Went on a thrilling ride (no pun intended) watching Ford v Ferrari. Felt the pain of the Joker. Watched the back and forth, ups and downs of divorce with Marriage Story. Looked back at an infamous story in history in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that gave a twist at the end. I slept through the Irishman *Snoor*, but my mother remembers the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa so she enjoyed it. The Oscar went to Parasite directed by Bong Joon-ho however I think there were other films that were right at the heels of Parasite.

Personally I think the direction and execution of Little Women was top notch and this would be my third choice for Best Picture. The 2019 version of Little Women took one of my favorite childhood stories and was able to mix it around like a rubix cube to make a new movie that was not only beautiful and engaging but easy to follow while not disrupting the story of the original book. It was like taking a sentimental journey with an old friend. I liked the modern day actresses that were chosen to play the young March sisters and Saoirse Ronan’s version of independent Jo March made me very proud of the character. Though I enjoyed the movie and it was one of my 2019 favorites, it was not unique and head thought provoking like the two movies I am about to discuss.

JoJo Rabbit was funny, original and made you wonder why someone hadn’t thought of that earlier - to make fun of one of the worst villains in world history. Is it too soon to make jokes about the holocaust? Isn’t it always too soon to make jokes about the Jews? 

Taika Waititi’s total Nazi satire is hilarious and really digs at the history of the tragic World War II that devisated the globe. To summarize, JoJo Betzler played by Roman Griffin Davis is a ten year old boy who lives in Nazi Germany and is in the Hitler Youth Corp. He is a lonely boy with his father away fighting in the war, his mother working full time, and his older sister deceased. His only companion is an imaginary Adolf Hitler played by Taika Waititi who also wrote and directed JoJo Rabbit. JoJo goes away to a Hitler Youth Summer Camp led by the constantly demoted Captain Klenzeldorf and fierce Fraulein Rahm. There JoJo learns everything a good little German boy should know: What Jews look like and the horrible things they’ve definitely done such as, “Once upon a time, a Jewish man mated with a fish” (Waititi) or they have fangs, serpent’s tongue, and scales. JoJo is a pure Nazi boy and he believes everything he was told about the Jews, until the day he comes home to find a teenage Jewish girl named Elsa hiding away in his attic. He plans to write a book to describe what jews are really like for the pleasure of the Nazis, then he gets to know Elsa and learns for himself that maybe everything that he has been taught really isn’t true at all. 

I love this image from the movie. It really has a great separation between both characters. This shows Hitler to the left and JoJo to the right just after they left Elsa and JoJo is trying to wrap his head around what just happened and what he should do with the help of his imaginary friend. Since JoJo is coming of age and forming a mind for himself there is a door behind him. I like to think this is a door opening up possibilities for JoJo. His character is at a crossroads right now because he is questioning everything he has ever known about Jews and how evil they are. There is a distinct line between him and Hitler. Hitler is on the left with the radical lightning bolt which is not the symbol of the Third Reich, but I think represents the power of the Nazis during WWII and the “jolt” to our consciousness that their hatred caused. Before Elsa came into JoJo’s life there was never a question that the power was with the Arian race. Hitler's shadow is even crossing the line trying to alter JoJo’s ideas. 

 This is a coming of age story of acceptance, open-mindedness and love. It teaches the lesson that you really need to have a mind of your own and choose your own path and break away from the group, rather than listen to everything you have been told. 

 I love movies that are funny and have young adolescent or teen actors. I also love any stories about World War II. This movie had all that plus heartwarming poignant moments between JoJo and his mother and between JoJo and the young girl the mother was keeping safe. It had its share of sad moments too as JoJo faced the death of his mother, which made it a roller coaster of an emotional ride. The manner in which both JoJo and the audience learn of the mother’s death evoked such shock and sadness that was unexpected in the midst of a movie that gave some very funny laughs. This was historical fiction through the perspective of a child with a whimsical take on a horrible war and a horrible man who taught hatred but love prevailed. Because it was so unique I have remembered moments from this movie long after I watched it. 

Parasite: A tale of two families, not at all like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This takes place in modern Korea and has subtitles translating Korean to English. One family lives in poverty and together they have to fight and strategically look for ways to get jobs so they can support the family. One by one they all find a place in the Park family home by working odd jobs for them. This movie shows the constant struggle and difference between social classes. The whole movie is filmed in a way that shows an incline from the poor up to the wealthy. When disaster strikes the poor community with a horrible rain storm that flooded the area, the wealthy continue to enjoy their luxurious lifestyle blind to the disastrous situation that is going on downtown. This movie is brilliantly unique and very well thought out and directed by Bong Joon-ho. Every detail of filming for the movie made it seem like everything was on a hill to show the slant between social classes. 

The camera zooms in on an eerie empty stairwell with no light but that of the china shelf on the upper floor. Suddenly a head ascends with two of the creepiest pairs of eyes you've ever seen. And pause the movie! Thematically, this shows how poverty resides in the darkness below and the wealth is in the light up above in expensive things such as china kept on shelves for display. In this movie they use a lot of ascending and descending shots to show the difference in the social and economic structure. In this shot poverty lives in the dark beyond the Park family’s comprehension and wealth lies above but untouchable to the poor. The finer things in life will always be beyond the reach of the poor class.

Bong Joon-ho’s genius direction clearly shows how appalling it is to be on the opposite end of the economic scale. But I didn’t think that it deserved the Best Picture award as there were no touching moments. None of the main characters were endearing. The Kim family was dishonest and so manipulative in how they obtained their jobs with the Park family. Understandably being that poor might drive you to do unscrupulous things to get a job, but once they had the jobs they still continued to show little endearing qualities. And the Park family was no different. They had very little understanding of how others live and didn’t show any inclination to help others but themselves. They looked down their nose on the less fortunate continually commenting on their smell. It was a very entertaining and another unique movie, but I did not experience the varied emotions that I experienced with JoJo Rabbit. I think back at JoJo Rabbit and it brings a laugh or smile to my face. I think back at Parasite and I just shake my head. The award should go to the movie that brings back greater sentiment long after the movie is over. 

In conclusion I thoroughly enjoyed all of the nominees for Best Picture. It was most definitely a clear choice for the winner in my mind, which was JoJo Rabbit.