What we have here is a warm, sweet love story about a girl
and her dog. Well, it’s not just that:
at White God’s beguiling core is a dual adventure story, in which an
innocent teen and her beloved mutt become separated, and each in somewhat
parallel ways is forced to confront harsh truths about the real world and about
their relationship. Well no, what it really is is a remarkably innovative saga
about a wronged canine – actually a mob of them – seeking retribution for the
cruel, heartless treatment they have endured at the hands of their human masters.
Okay, in truth this movie is a critical parable of modern society, depicting
how oppression and subjugation based on an ideology of superiority (ethnic, sectarian,
social class, or whatever) is not just morally repugnant, but inevitably leads to
conflict, violence and the death of civilization.
I think the film is all of those things, which is what makes
this seemingly simple, straightforward tale so captivating. In a nutshell, the
story goes like this: a girl is forced to spend a few months with her
emotionally distant, sad-sack, somewhat creepy dad – but he was not expecting
her dog, too, does not want the dog around, is not allowed to have a dog in his
apartment, and, to his daughter’s dismay, throws him out. Unhappiness ensues
for the girl; homelessness ensues for the dog, followed by hard times,
mistreatment, solidarity with others of his kind and a growing desire for
revenge, which culminates in a fabulous ending.
White God has been a favorite with critics and at
film festivals. For example, at Cannes, it won the Un Certain Regard prize last year [awarded for exceptional and
innovative quality], along with the more esoteric, tongue-in-cheek Palm Dog prize [best movie featuring a
dog]. Here’s a sampling of some of other
critical superlatives:
Kornél Mundruczó's exhilarating radicalization allegory
"White God"… is by turns Dickensian, Marxist and dystopian … a movie
as deliriously unclassifiable as it is expertly focused in its desire to
provoke and entertain. (Robert
Abele, L.A. Times.)
A Hungarian revenge fantasy like
nothing you’ve ever seen before. (Manohla Dargis, NY Times)
A beguiling work … blending political allegory with the tropes of teen
coming-of-age films, White God begins as a tale about a girl separated from her
dog, and ends up being the Battleship Potemkin of canine mutiny. (Josh, Kupecki, Austin
Chronicle)
Brilliant. (Steven Rea,
Philadelphia Inquirer)
Some of this praise is a bit overheated. White God is
unusual, and certainly entertaining, thought provoking and recommendable, but I wouldn’t call it “brilliant”.
For example, the plotlines are rather pedestrian, albeit well executed. This is particularly true with respect to the
story about the girl, Lili, although the young actress who plays her (newcomer Zsófia Psotta) is
well cast and quite credible. Lili is a girl on the cusp of womanhood, and Psotta’s face reflects this wonderfully:
sometimes she looks like an out of her depth eleven year old, and a moment
later, she seems a weary eighteen (she’s supposed to be thirteen).
The star of this picture, however, is Lili’s dog Hagen, a mixed
breed marvel, brilliantly acted by twin mutts Body and Luke. The Palm Dog prize at Cannes was no fluke.
There is no CGI to help them, no narration or voice-over to tell us what Hagen
is thinking or feeling. But keen directing and the twins’ facial expressions
and actions are captivating and tell us all we need to know. Hagen’s journey
turns him from a sweet intelligent pet into a warrior and a leader (similar to
the journey of Caesar in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes).
Like that movie, White God culminates with a rebellion.
But unlike Rise, the denouement is enacted not with special
effects animation or people in animal costumes, but with an army of real dogs.
Indeed one of the marvels of White God is trying to figure out how the
filmmakers were able to get this army to follow the script! Nearly 275 dogs
participated in this story (a record, I’m told), all mutts, all found in animal
shelters, and all eventually placed in adoptive homes. Anyway, it’s a thrilling ending. As to what
happens with Lili, her dad and Hagen, all I’ll say is it’s not as pat as you
might imagine.
Like many worthwhile motion pictures, White God’s
message is larger than its story. Given the recent refugee crisis in Europe
and Hungary’s less than humanitarian response, this primarily Hungarian feature
is definitely timely.
2 hours
Available streaming on
Netflix, Amazon instant Video, iTunes, and others; Also on DVD and Blue-Ray.
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