Jojo Rabbit

The ending of Jojo Rabbit is a powerful mix of heartbreak and hope. After Jojo’s mother is executed for opposing the Nazi regime, he is left vulnerable and disillusioned. As the Allied forces arrive, Jojo’s false beliefs about Jews are shattered when Elsa, the Jewish girl he’s been hiding, reveals herself to be Jewish and demonstrates that the stereotypes he’s been told are lies. When the Nazi soldiers search the house, Elsa pretends to be Jojo’s sister and hands over papers to protect herself, only for Jojo to realize that no one outside the propaganda image knows her true identity, and that Jews don’t look or act as they’ve been told—highlighting the tragic ignorance fueled by Nazi propaganda.

As the war ends and the Nazis are defeated, Jojo finds himself faced with the failure of everything he believed in. He and Elsa try to escape the chaos, and although he is captured and almost executed by the remaining Nazi soldiers, he is saved when Captain Klenzendorf, a former Nazi officer who has become disillusioned, chooses to let Elsa go instead. Jojo then returns home, still caught between his old beliefs and the new understanding he has gained, and hesitantly writes a letter to Elsa, pretending to be her boyfriend. In a heartbreaking turn, the imaginary Hitler, who has long symbolized Jojo’s blind fanaticism, appears one last time and—showing his true monstrous nature—Jojo finally kicks him out the window, rejecting the hateful ideology he once embraced.

The film concludes with Jojo and Elsa stepping outside into the sunlight, and they dance to David Bowie’s “Heroes,” sung in German. This dance is a symbol of liberation and hope, a poignant act of choosing joy and life amidst despair. Their dance not only marks a key moment of personal victory for Jojo but also signifies the possibility of love and humanity prevailing over hatred and propaganda. The ending leaves viewers with a message that even in the darkest times, compassion and understanding can emerge, and that true heroism is about breaking free from indoctrination and choosing kindness. Ultimately, Jojo Rabbit crafts a nuanced ending—devastating yet hopeful—that underscores how innocence can survive even the most destructive ideologies, if given the chance to find light.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:59