The new trailer for Taika Waititi's dark comedy Jojo Rabbit features two very famous songs: "I'm A Believer" by The Monkees and "Heroes" by David Bowie - but if you're having trouble recognizing them, it's probably because they're sung in German.
Set during World War II, Jojo Rabbit is about a ten year-old boy called Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) who is an enthusiastic member of the Hitler Youth, but has trouble making friends his own age. Fortunately, he has an imaginary friend to keep him company: Adolf Hitler (Waititi). Jojo's love of Hitler and the Nazis is shaken when he discovers a Jewish girl called Elsa (Thomasin Mackenzie) living in his house, having been taken in by Jojo's mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) to save her from being killed or sent to a concentration camp.
Though the movie might be set in the 1940s, Jojo Rabbit's new trailer features songs from 1967 and 1977, respectively. It begins with a German-language cover of The Monkees' "I'm A Believer" as Jojo's "blind fanaticism" is established, but after he discovers Elsa hiding in the wall the music transitions to a German version of David Bowie's "Heroes" - a nod to both the heroic role of those who helped German Jews to survive during the Holocaust, and also to a possible romantic undercurrent in the film as Jojo develops a crush on Elsa (Hitler observes that, "You two seem to be getting on well").
Before joining Marvel Studios as the director of Thor: Ragnarok (and the upcoming sequel Thor: Love and Thunder), Waititi gained international acclaim for directing New Zealand comedy films like The Hunt For the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows. Tagged as an "anti-hate satire," Jojo Rabbit marks a return to those roots in between making mega-budget superhero movies. The film's stellar cast also includes Sam Rockwell, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen and Rebel Wilson.
Jojo Rabbit was produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures, and during post-production on the film Fox Searchlight (along with most of 20th Century Fox's assets) was acquired by Disney, meaning that Disney is handling the release. Given that the Mouse House isn't exactly known for making satirical films about Nazis and an imaginary Hitler who's a boy's best friend, screenings of the film have reportedly left some execs worried about alienating Disney fans.
Nonetheless, Jojo Rabbit will enjoy a big awards season rollout, premiering at Toronto International Film Festival ahead of its general release in October. If it proves to be enough of a hit among critics and at the box office, perhaps it will quell Disney fears about promoting some of Fox's edgier projects.
