The Rosie the Reviewer Podcast

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

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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.

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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.

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