Jojo

Taika Waititi discovered in his research that WWII Germany was very vibrant and fashionable and was interested in shying away from traditional war films that presented it as dark and dreary. He opted, instead, to present the city as a celebratory place on the surface and dressed the characters as stylishly as possible. He liked the idea that everything seems happy, but just underneath the surface "the third Reich is crumbling, and, you know, the dream is over."

The first time an American soldier is seen waving a flag from a balcony, it is one with 50 stars instead of 48. (A common mistake in WW2 films.) The error is later rectified by showing an American in a Jeep waving a correct 48-star flag.

There is a quote from a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke right before the closing credits: "Let everything happen to you / Beauty and terror / Just keep going / No feeling is final."

Featured in CTV National News: Episode dated 5 September 2019 (2019)