Comedy is important weapon against bigotry and hate: Taika Waititi

Filmmaker Taika Waititi believes humour is an important tool to counter bigotry and hate in the society.

Waititi is currently promoting his satirical Hitler comedy "Jojo Rabbit", in which he essays the Nazi dictator opposite actors Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell.

The film, set during the World War II, is about a young German boy (Davis), who finds out that his mother (Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

At the film's premiere here, the New Zealander told The Hollywood Reporter that the idea behind the film was to draw attention to how the troubling behaviour percolates down to the children.

 

"I wanted to tell a story about kids witnessing the behaviour of grown-ups -- especially during times of conflict and war -- because I've never seen films like that, I've never seen films where it was told really through a child's lens.

"It became particularly important to me after becoming a father and realising that children are constantly watching us, they're always looking to us for advice and for wisdom and for life lessons, and sometimes we fail them, but when we really fail them is in times of war. War is such a stupid thing and it makes no sense, and when children see us behaving this way, it only perpetuates the behaviour," Waititi said.

About using humour to tell a story like "Jojo Rabbit", the "Thor: Ragnarok" director said comedy is the best way to "fight bullies".

"Comedy is very, very important weapon against bigotry and hate and intolerance, and we have to continue to use it because it's a great way of disarming bullies and poking enough holes in their belief system," he added.

"Jojo Rabbit" will release in the US on Friday.