Jojo Rabbit Movie Analysis (Essay Example)

Setting, costume, relationships and symbolism are four aspects that can be closely linked to develop further meaning in my chosen scene. These four aspects all are linked to each other through the idea is not expecting tragedy until tragedy occurs, in this case JoJo did not expect his mother to die, his innocence of being a young child was stolen from him and he was forced to grow up suddenly. These four film aspects allow this idea to be displayed fluently throughout the scene, this allows the audience to understand and feel impacted by this tragic scene. The hanging scene in JoJo rabbit is a devastating scene which is very impactful in the film, JoJo Rabbit. Without these four aspects being recognised the audience may feel confused and not realise the true meaning this scene holds, which is that you are never expected to face tragedy until you do.

In the scene where JoJo has found Rosie, who had been hung in the middle of the town’s square for her anti-nazi activities as a member of the resistance, you can see that the colours in the setting are mostly greys which allow the audience to be put in a gloomy, depressive state of mind during this scene. Using grey in this scene is symbolic as grey can represent depression and loss. The setting holds great control over the audience, allowing us to feel just as upset as JoJo by Rosie’s tragic end. Throughout the grey,  scene you can see parts of colour which draw in the attention of the audience. You first see a blue butterfly, who leads JoJo to his mother. The butterfly is a surprisingly significant part of the scene as butterflies are known to symbolise peace, life and spirit. Even in the most tragic of scenes there is peace allowed to be seen. The butterfly leading JoJo as well as us, the audience to Rosie is a symbol that although Rosie is no longer alive she encouraged JoJo to feel at peace and happy as she maintained a positive outlook on life around him, even during the hard times of war and divergence. Rosie taught JoJo that life at those times should not just be about war and fighting but should also be about love, happiness and freedom. This idea also reminds us that Rosie was so full of life before this unexpected tragedy. Another thing that grabs the audience’s eye during the scene is the bright red swastika banners hung on the buildings around the town square. The swastika is the symbol of the Nazis. Seeing these massive swastika logos let the audience be aware of how much the Nazis ruled Germany during the times of WWII. The final thing that stands out through the grey scenery is Rosie’s bright red, heeled shoes with laces. Rosie’s shoes were shown all throughout the film and were a major symbol that represented Rosie. These shoes were something that we always linked to Rosie, knowing that she had them and once danced among the streets with them on. This then links us to the aspect costume. Rosie’s was only shown from the waist down showing her black, opaque tights, green, wide-legged pants and her red, heeled shoes. We saw this outfit on Rosie in a previous scene which is why we were able to identify that the person who had been hung was Rosie. We were able to identify her without seeing her face. Her red shoes are a symbolic part of Rosie’s character, they can make you think back to the time in the film when Rosie and JoJo were dancing, biking, smiling and having fun whilst she was still alive. This idea of Rosie and JoJo’s loving bond links back to the aspect of relationships. Without seeing the meaningful relationship that was displayed between Rosie and JoJo when JoJo was forced to face a dreadful tragedy at his young age of 10 years old. JoJo showed that the pair had a close bond when he was seen as distraught and hugging her limp body, this clearly shows that JoJo and Rosie had a close mother-son relationship. The innocence of JoJo was taken away from him when he saw his mother who had been hung by the Nazis, that he once looked up to, JoJo did not expect them to anything that would result in a tragedy affecting him. 

The major theme in this scene not being able to believe that something bad will happen to you until it does. JoJo has his  innocence stolen from him when is so young and hasn’t got a proper understanding for the wider world. JoJo is a young boy who was tragically made to handle his mother’s death at the young age of 10, throughout the film JoJo talks a numerous amount of times for his hate for Jews and love for Nazism. He believes he is Nazi until he finds out his mother had been killed by them. JoJo believed that Nazis were doing the right thing until his mother had been killed by them and now he was the person having to deal with the loss of a loved one. This links to everyday life in the sense that no one believes that tragedy will occur affecting them until it does. Unexpected things like accidents, murder, undiagnosed chronic illnesses, and sudden natural causes, are things that are in most cases random and non-provoked. You never expect something as upsetting as a death to a loved one until you are experiencing it. Many people pass away unexpectedly each day forcing an average of 5 people to be deeply affected by their death. Death is not the only tragedy for people, another tragedy could be a loved one or yourself being wrongly convicted of a crime and sent to jail, a loved one or yourself being diagnosed with a life altering illness, you or a loved one having an accident that changes your life for the worse, and many more. The main message is no one expects to have to deal with tragedy until they are dealing with it. During the times of unexpected tragedy peoples emotions are high and the most common feeling they may endure is disbelief. Many people will feel angry, sad and they may even feel numb. Unexpected tragedy is the very tragic and devastating reality of life today. In Ukraine and Russia many people are losing loved ones due to the tragic war happening right now. None of these people’s loved ones expected the tragic loss of so many at this devastating time but in Ukraine and Russia it has been the harsh reality. No one could have expected this and therefor this relates to the theme I have discussed in my essay, the theme being not expecting tragedy until you are forced to face it. 

In conclusion the hanging scene in JoJo Rabbit is a tragic scene which accurately displays the theme of not expecting tragedy until tragedy occurs. JoJo did not expect the brutal death of his dearly loved mother,  he was forced to face it and have the pressure of him growing up straight away at the age of 10. This happens to many people, daily, unexpectedly many people will die leaving their loved ones filled with grief, many being children who have the weight of growing up quicker put onto them rapidly. My theme in hanging scene is relatable for many children, mothers, fathers, grandparents and friends as they have been compelled to deal with a loved ones unexpected death.