Life Is Beautiful (1998)

Growing up without a dad, I got a lot of my fatherly advice from the prototypes I saw on the silver screen. It’s these characters and films that, not only gave me a glimpse into a dynamic I had never known or understood, but also made me realize that I was in fact missing out. So for those who feel the same or just want to watch a movie with their dad, here are my top 10 paternal films.

Juan and Chiron’s relationship in the first chapter we see of his life is absolutely beautiful. A big-time drug dealer, as muscular and powerful as he is, Juan helps this little boy who is being picked on for being gay and is neglected by his mother. He feeds him, talks to him, and teaches him how to swim in one of the most beautifully composed cinematic scenes I have ever watched. Juan rejects many of the assumptions people would make about a drug dealer. He has so much love and care for this child. I would put him higher on the list if he didn’t do that thing he did (watch the movie to find out :) 

Set in the Third Reich, Jojo Rabbit (2019) was surprisingly goofier than I imagined it to be. When I read its premise, I was nervous about how Taika Waititi was going to pull off Adolf Hitler being a young boy’s imaginary friend, but it works! While watching the film, I couldn’t help but compare Jojo Rabbit to Life is Beautiful (1998), an Italian film that is centered on a father and son who’ve been sent to a concentration camp. Both films bring light into a dark period by the emphasis on humor; however, I enjoyed Jojo Rabbit's satirical approach. Jojo Rabbit sets itself apart from comedies that are set during Nazi Germany because Taika Waititi invites the audience to be a child once more. The story is focused on the young boy, Jojo, and his imagination is seen throughout the film, one of them being Adolf Hitler as his imaginary friend. This can be a dangerous decision to make a parody of Hitler since there have been other filmmakers that have done the same but have gotten criticism for it like Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1941). But, Jojo Rabbit well-roundedly pulled it off, I don’t see Jojo’s imaginary friend as a parody of Hitler even though he is designed to be a goofball and idiotic at times, the imaginary Hitler is a manifestation of Jojo’s nationalism and biases of Jews. Jojo’s imagination makes us empathize with him, to remember what it was like when we once had imaginary friends or the thrill to seek adventure, wanting to be a hero, all to make your childhood worthwhile. 

     When I was little I remembered being fascinated by the marvel anti-hero Elektra, when I told my mom I wanted to be her she felt awkward because Elektra is an assassin and wouldn’t be a good role model for me. To an extent I understand Jojo choosing Hitler as not only his imaginary friend but someone he could talk to, the imaginary Hitler gave him confidence and the desire to be masculine. Waititi also gives us Jewish humor like when Jojo tells Elsa, a Jewish Girl hiding in his attic, that the Rabbis use the penises they cut off as earplugs. The Jewish humor doesn't mock Jewish traditions but rather the beliefs of anti-Semites. There are fantastical elements that Waititi plays into the film other than the imaginary friend. There's a scene where Jojo develops a crush on Elsa and when the camera moves to his stomach we see butterflies. I thought that was a nice Ameliè (2002) approach to show how imaginative Jojo is. Overall, the movie balances its lightheartedness with some melancholy tones perfectly. It's remarkable and profound for people to smile and laugh at a film that has a dark context, it shows us how comedy movies have evolved over time.