The Rosie the Reviewer Podcast

Welcome to Rosie the Reviewer, a Dutch-Canadian female-led WW2 media podcast. A new episode airs every Friday!

Back to all episodes

Ep 24 – Jojo Rabbit – Analyzing Satire in Taika Waititi’s Controversial WWII Comedy

Subscribe:

Apple PodcastsCastBoxPocketCastsSpotifyRSSAmazon MusicYouTube

Share

Support the podcast

Rosie the Reviewer is a passion project, built episode by episode. If you’d like to support what we do, you can help keep us on the air or pick up some Rosie merch. We’re working on more ways for you to get involved in the future.

merch

Description

This week, we discuss Taika Waititi’s satirical film, Jojo Rabbit (2019) and once again question what makes good satire. This story is based on Christine Leunens’s 2008 book Caging Skies that Sam had the difficult task of reading. Pallet cleanser after that one, Sam?

Book Rec by Sam

Caging Skies by Christine Leunens

Caging Skies by Christine Leunens is the novel upon which the film JoJo Rabbit is based. It does indeed star a young man in wartime Germany who belongs to the Hitler Youth and discovers that a Jewish girl is hiding in his attic, but that is largely where the similarities to the movie end. Extremely well-written and a worthy exploration into human behaviour, it is also very dark and emotionally demanding, as you might expect from the subject matter. Let’s say the movie’s ending falls only about halfway through the book – and things really take a turn.

BUY ON AMAZON

Discover more from the Rosie the Reviewer Podcast

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More episodes

I Will Not Abandon You – Rosie the Reviewer WWII podcast episode art

Ep 120 – I Will Not Abandon You – Samuel Clowes Huneke on Queer Women in Nazi Germany

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we are joined by historian Samuel Clowes Huneke, associate professor at George Mason University, to discuss his book I Will Not Abandon You: Queer Women in Nazi Germany (2025). We explore the prosecution of Queer women in Nazi Germany, Samuel’s research and also…
Weimar Berlin’s queer culture and its suppression, the Night of the Long Knives and the weaponisation of Ernst Röhm’s sexuality. But it’s not all depressing, as you will find out if you read his book.

Buy it wherever you get your books.

Go to episode »
Rosie the Reviewer logo

Ep 46 – Sonny Boy – A Powerful Story of Love, Struggle, and Resistance in WWII

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we dive into Sonny Boy, a Dutch film based on the book by Annejet van der Zijl. The movie tells the true story of Dutch-Surinam couple Rika van der Lans and Waldemar Nods, highlighting their struggles during the German occupation of the Netherlands. The couple’s relationship and their efforts to hide Jews in their boarding house make for a compelling, emotional tale of resistance during WWII. Maartje also shares her love for Dutch history and the personal connection to this story.

Go to episode »
Rosie the Reviewer logo

Ep 61 – X Company Season 2 – The Dieppe Raid, Enigma Machines, Ian Fleming and David Stirling Nods

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we take on Season 2 of X Company, the tense Canadian WWII drama set at Camp X. This season brings higher stakes, deeper trauma, and a brutal reckoning with the Dieppe Raid. We talk Alfred’s Magneto cage, the complexity of Faber and Sabine’s marriage and a certain “code machine that looks like a fancy typewriter”. Yes, the Enigma makes an appearance. Plus: tortured romances (literal and metaphorical), and Aurora absolutely going off-script.
We also get into the real-life inspirations behind the season, from David O’Keefe’s Dieppe theory to the heartbreaking Canadian casualties. And no one is safe, emotionally or narratively. Not even Tom.

Go to episode »
Rosie the Reviewer their finest title card

Ep 74 – Their Finest – Wartime Propaganda with The Donut Dollies

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we’re joined by Winnie and Gabby from the Donut Dollies podcast to discuss Their Finest (2016), Lone Scherfig’s adaptation of Lissa Evans’ novel Their Finest Hour and a Half. Together we unpack the film’s blend of romance, tragedy, and wartime propaganda, as well as how it compares to the book. Surprisingly much debate about Sam Claflin’s casting, the power of women in the Ministry of Information, and why Bill Nighy steals every scene as Ambrose Hilliard. Plus, the real history of women in Britain’s propaganda machine.

Go to episode »

Support the podcast

Rosie the Reviewer is a passion project, built episode by episode. If you’d like to support what we do, you can help keep us on the air or pick up some Rosie merch. We’re working on more ways for you to get involved in the future.

Shop rosie merch