Jojo Rabbit grips audiences by portraying a highly uncomfortable topic, that of the Holocaust, through the lens of a young boy enamored with the Nazis. The film's titular character is Jojo Betzler, a role which earned actor Roman Griffin Davis a Golden Globe nomination. Jojo is a 10-year-old member of the Hitler Youth whose imaginary friend is a somewhat goofy Adolf Hitler, played by the film's writer and director, Taika Waititi. Jojo discovers his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie).

Elsa and Rosie have conversations with Jojo throughout the film about compassion and respect for others. Eventually, Jojo rejects the toxic ideology of Nazism, which the film shows through a growing rift between him and an ever-angrier imaginary Hitler. Overall, the film is about thinking for yourself, the dangers of Nazism and fascism, and the tragedy of war. It is at times hilarious and others gravely serious. While it can be unsettling to some to see such a heavy topic discussed with humor, many view it as a poignant statement on the childishness and futility of war and terror. It is a coming-of-age film that shows the dangerous influence of pack mentality, especially when the pack is so desperate for new connections that it will embrace values like toxic masculinity, nationalism, and violence to fit in. If you liked Jojo Rabbit, you should watch the following films.

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Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Zachary Quinto (left) and Brad Pitt (right) in Inglorious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds from Quentin Tarantino is another film that shows the brutality of World War II with some moments of light comedy. The titular Basterds are a group of Jewish American GIs on an undercover mission to hunt down, capture, and slaughter Nazis. The talents of Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, B.J. Novak, Gedeon Burkhardt, and Til Schweiger comprise some of the group. The film, like most of Tarantino's, is graphic. By showing the boyishness of the group and having light comedic moments throughout, you are reminded, as with Jojo Rabbit, that World War II was fought by very young men and sometimes children. You also see some of the horrors experienced by those persecuted by the Nazis. Like in Jojo Rabbit, hiding Jewish people plays a central role in Inglourious Basterds. As long as you can handle blood and gore, you should watch this film. Beyond those mentioned, it also features a star-studded cast that includes Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, and Mike Meyers.

Life is Beautiful (1997)

Life is Beautiful, Roberto Benigni

As with Jojo Rabbit, Life is Beautiful stars the film's writer and director, Roberto Benigni. Benigni plays a Jewish-Italian man named Guido who works as a waiter in Arezzo, Tuscany. He falls in love with Dora, played by Benigni's wife and longtime collaborator Nicoletta Braschi, and the two marry and have a son. The first act portrays a happier time that contrasts with the coming tragedy.

The second half of the movie shows the Nazi occupation of Italy. Guido, his uncle, and his young son get moved to a concentration camp. Faced with overwhelming adversity, Guido keeps his heart light and tells his son, Giosuè, that the concentration camp is a game: the mean guards are referees, and if you do not listen to them, you lose points. The winner gets a tank! The boy is excited and unaware of the danger. Like Waititi, Benigni uses humor in his film in a way that makes the dark moments darker. It also forces audiences to look at the damage war brings to innocent people and children and how people remain resilient even in the worst situations.

Starship Troopers (1997)

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Image via Paramount

Starship Troopers, directed by Paul Verhoeven, is a biting satire on war and fascism. People argue whether the novel of the same name glorifies fascism or not. Most agree, however, that it glorifies militarism, which makes the anti-fascist, anti-war film adaptation a satire of its source material. Throughout the film, we see a future Earth colonizing another planet and slaughtering its inhabitants. The film uses Nazi-style uniforms and iconography with Americanized heroes and militaries to showcase the director's views on post-WWII America. We also get fun bits where masculinity and nationalism get in the way of the character's success, satirizing Nazism similar to Jojo Rabbit.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)

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Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Mark Herman wrote and directed The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, adapted from a novel by John Boyne. It is about the friendship between two boys in Nazi-occupied Poland. Bruno is the son of the SS soldier in charge of a concentration camp, and he comes across Shmuel through the concentration camp fence while playing outside. Neither boy knows the true nature of the situation, and they develop a great friendship. Unlike Jojo Rabbit, there is little lightheartedness in this film. However, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas showcases war through the lens of children and is worth watching for fans of Jojo Rabbit.

Turtles Can Fly (2004)

turtles can fly image
Image via IFC Films

Turtles Can Fly is another coming-of-age film that showcases the tragedy of war through children's eyes. Iranian-Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Gobadi wrote, produced, and directed this film about Kurdish children living on the border of Iraq and Turkey through the eve and dawn of the American invasion of Iraq. The film is tragic in contrast to Jojo Rabbit, but it educates viewers on the tragedies of war through similar narrative choices, like the focus on children in war zones. It is an essential film for anyone.

Bicycle Theives (1948)

Antonio and Bruno from "Bicycle Thieves", Antonio holding a bike and Bruno looking up at him

Ladri di biciclette (Italian for Bicycle Thieves) is a heavily referenced neorealist film from post-war Italy, directed by Vittorio De Sica. The film follows Antonio, played by Lamberto Maggiorani, as he purchases a bike for work to provide for his wife Maria and two children. His first day of work comes to an early halt when his bicycle gets stolen. He brings his son Bruno on an adventure to find their stolen property. Though the story takes place after the war, it evokes similar themes as Jojo Rabbit. Both speak to the hardships of a specific time, shown through a struggling family and young children. Once you watch Bicycle Thieves, you will notice its influence on the world of cinema.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

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Image via Studio Ghibli

Grave of the Fireflies is one of the most critically-acclaimed wartime animated films. This Studio Ghibli film was written and directed by Isao Takahata. It follows Seita and Setsuko, two Japanese children, at the end of World War II. Their home in Kobe, Japan, is destroyed by a firebombing, which also kills their mother. The two take refuge with a relative but soon flee again. Overwhelmed by the tragedy of war, Seita and Setsuko's journey has few happy moments. The brief glimpses of joyous life seen at the start of the film and when the two children watch the titular fireflies at night contrast with the horrors portrayed throughout the film. The stark difference between joyful, innocent beauty and terror is common in many titles on this list, especially Jojo Rabbit and Life is Beautiful.

Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)

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Image via Universal Pictures

Slaughterhouse-Five, directed by George Roy Hill in 1972, was adapted from a novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the story of Billy Pilgrim, played by Michael Sacks, as he travels through time to relive his imprisonment during World War II in a German POW camp in Dresden. This account is semi-autobiographical in that Vonnegut was taken prisoner and interned at Dresden. Also, as with Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut witnessed the Allied bombing of Dresden. As with Jojo Rabbit, the film showcases how war is tragic for everyone. Though the main characters are American soldiers, the story is a clear indictment of the Dresden bombing, which Vonnegut saw as a horrific and gratuitous act of violence. He also gave his book the alternate title of The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death because he wanted people to recognize that it is boys who go to war, not men.

The Great Dictator (1940)

The Jewish barber dressed as the tyrant from The Great Dictator

The Great Dictator, created by Charlie Chaplin, is seen by many as directly influencing Jojo Rabbit. The film takes place in a fictionalized country of Tomainia, which has lost WWI and has descended into fascism. Chaplin plays a Jewish barber who is a veteran of the first war, and he also plays Adenoid Hynkel, a satirical take on Adolf Hitler. Released before America went to war with Germany, the film was making a current political statement. Making Hitler look like a fool worked well for Chaplin as it did for Waititi with Jojo Rabbit, and many film critics and historians think of The Great Dictator as one of the greatest comedies of all time.