How Jojo Rabbit's Mother Dies (& Why She Was Killed Off)
Rachel Hickman Although Jojo Rabbit has a lot of comedic moments, it also has a heartbreaking scene: the death of Jojo's mother. Here's why she was killed and how.
Taika Waititi’s unconventional World War II film Jojo Rabbit is a combination of drama and comedy, and its most emotional (and tough to watch) moment is when Jojo’s mother, Rosie, is killed – but why and how does she die? Following the success of Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi returned with a very different film: Jojo Rabbit, based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens and starring Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Thomasin McKenzie, and Waititi in his most controversial role to date.
Jojo Rabbit is set in the later stages of World War II and follows Johannes “Jojo” Betzler (Griffin Davis), a Hitler Youth member and supporter of the war who finds out that his mother, Rosie (Johansson), is hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa (McKenzie) in their house. Jojo then finds himself questioning his beliefs while also dealing with his imaginary friend: a bizarre version of Adolf Hitler (Waititi) who isn’t the best at offering advice to young Jojo. The film gave Waititi an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was praised by critics and audiences for its direction, story, tone, and performances, though it also got some criticism for the comedic portrayal of Hitler and other Nazis.
Although Jojo Rabbit has a lot of comedic moments (as expected from a film written and directed by Waititi), it also had a lot of emotional moments, especially those between Jojo, Rosie, and Elsa. The film’s most heartbreaking moment was that of the death of Rosie, which came as a surprise to both viewers and Jojo. As Jojo is walking down the street, he comes across with a blue butterfly and follows it to the public square, where he finds his mother hanging along with other people. Jojo breaks down and hugs his mother’s legs, ties her shoelaces, and stays next to her body for a while.
At the beginning of the film, Jojo and Rosie are presented as supporters of Hitler, but it turns out to be a false front, as Rosie’s beliefs were the complete opposite. Unbeknownst to Jojo and everyone else, Rosie was anti-Nazi and actively (though secretly) campaigned against Hitler and the war, which is why she was hiding Elsa. Jojo learns about his mother’s real beliefs when he sees her leaving “free Germany” messages around town, and one of those leaflets is attached to her body when he finds her. Rosie’s death is not far from facts, as many anti-Nazi figures and groups were hunted down and murdered as they were considered traitors. These groups used to clandestinely write, print, and distribute anti-Nazi pamphlets and leaflets with “Freedom!” and “Down with Hitler!” written on them, and many of them were caught and arrested – after that, they could either be sent to concentration camps or be executed, just like Rosie.
Jojo Rabbit is as heartbreaking as it's funny, as it shows the cruelty of the war and Hitler’s reign through the eyes of a boy that was taught to believe in something that wasn’t true, only to find out what the world was really like all by himself. The death of Jojo’s mother is a tough moment to watch, but it’s a reminder of the hard work of activists and their sacrifices through history, as they never stopped fighting for a greater good (in this case, ending the war and Hitler’s inhumane practices) – though, sadly, that meant Jojo becoming an orphan.
