It seems a bizarre concept, given that its premise revolves around quirky New Zealand director and actor Taika Waititi playing Hitler, but Jojo Rabbit seems to already be a hit with even the most discerning of audiences.
Waititi's Nazi Germany satire took the People's Choice award on Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival.
It's a significant accolade on its own, but one with even more weight given that the award is often described as one of the most accurate predictors of a film's Academy Awards chances.
For more than a decade, every People's Choice winner in Toronto has gone on to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. In 2018, Peter Farrelly's Green Book was the winner of the People's Choice award, and also took the Best Picture Academy Award.
Jojo Rabbit follows the titular Jojo, a young German boy struggling to find his place within the regime and desperate to join up and advance the fascist cause.
He works through his struggles with the help of his imaginary friend – none other than Hitler, played by the half-Maori, half-Jewish Waititi himself. Scarlett Johansson plays Jojo’s mother, who is secretly anti-Nazi and takes in a Jewish girl, causing Jojo to question his beliefs and battle with his imaginary friend.
Waititi has a track record of making delightfully offbeat, surreal dark comedies (What We Do in the Shadows) and touching studies of disrupted childhood (Hunt for the Wilderpeople). Jojo Rabbit all but combines the two.
While it might have landed the prestigious People's Choice award, the reception with critics in Toronto was somewhat mixed. Some labelled it a masterpiece, while others questioned its satirical tone of such a devastating period of history.
Also starring Sam Rockwell, the film releases worldwide on Friday, October 18.
The film is a bold move for the Walt Disney Co (who recently bought the film's production company, Fox Searchlight Pictures), but it's seemingly not come without its anxieties. Concerns were raised earlier this year that the film was too edgy for the company, according to Variety, but those rumours were later quashed by Waititi himself.
"It's like saying, 'Watch out for that Life Is Beautiful movie. It's going to bring down the corporation,'" Waititi said. "I don't think you have to worry about this movie because once you see it, it speaks for itself. It's uplifting and it's a very positive message."
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Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Results
UAE beat Nigeria by five wickets
Hong Kong beat Canada by 32 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi – Ireland v Jersey
7.30pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Canada v Oman
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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Brown/Black belt finals
3pm: 49kg female: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) v Thamires Aquino (BRA)
3.07pm: 56kg male: Hiago George (BRA) v Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA)
3.14pm: 55kg female: Amal Amjahid (BEL) v Bianca Basilio (BRA)
3.21pm: 62kg male: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) v Joao Miyao (BRA)
3.28pm: 62kg female: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR)
3.35pm: 69kg male: Isaac Doederlein (BRA) v Paulo Miyao (BRA)
3.42pm: 70kg female: Thamara Silva (BRA) v Alessandra Moss (AUS)
3.49pm: 77kg male: Oliver Lovell (GBR) v Tommy Langarkar (NOR)
3.56pm: 85kg male: Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE) v Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA)
4.03pm: 90kg female: Claire-France Thevenon (FRA) v Gabreili Passanha (BRA)
4.10pm: 94kg male: Adam Wardzinski (POL) v Kaynan Duarte (BRA)
4.17pm: 110kg male: Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE) v Joao Rocha (BRA
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Joker'
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Rating: Five out of five stars
Star%20Wars%3A%20Episode%20I%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Phantom%20Menace
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Big%20Ape%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20LucasArts%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20PlayStation%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates