White God

2014 [HUNGARIAN]

Action / Adventure / Comedy / Drama / Fantasy / Horror / Mystery / Thriller

29
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 87% · 113 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 71% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.8/10 10 17636 17.6K

hungary racism dog revolt divorced father film parable

Director

Kornél Mundruczó Photo
Kornél Mundruczó

Top cast

Natasa Stork Photo
Natasa Stork as Woman at dog place
Sándor Terhes Photo
Sándor Terhes as Policeman 1
Sándor Zsótér Photo
Sándor Zsótér as Dániel
Laszlo Katona Photo
Laszlo Katona as Disgrace Orchestra bandmember
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
1.05 GB
1280*534
Hungarian 2.0
NR
Subtitles
23.976 fps
2 hr 1 min
Seeds 6
1.9 GB
1920*800
Hungarian 2.0
NR
Subtitles
23.976 fps
2 hr 1 min
Seeds 6

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by I_Ailurophile 7 / 10

Very good, if not fully satisfying

'White God,' or 'Feher isten,' beckons with a promising premise: A young girl's father puts her beloved dog out on the streets, and he must learn to survive as she looks for him. Every film poster, and the first visuals we see in the movie, further promise rather harrowingly that every dog really does have its day.That is, certainly, the film we get. But it nonetheless seems to fall a little short of expectations.Most notable about 'White god' are the human and canine leads. Bodie and Luke are the two dogs who accordingly portray Hagen in the film, and they have been expertly trained and are very convincing in their roles. More relatable is Zsofia Psotta as human protagonist Lili. She shines in her performance struggling with an overbearing father who doesn't listen, and determined to find her beloved companion. We feel Lili's frustration, exasperation, and anguish very keenly, emotions readily given life with the young star's capable skill.Whether one is an animal lover or just especially empathetic around humans, this is a film that's not particularly easy to watch. The experiences of Hagen being tossed out of his home, and what he faces living on the streets, is heart-breaking to see played out on the screen. Likewise, again, Lili's troubles are very understandable: we've all had difficulties with parental figures, and the very idea of losing a pet is almost too much to bear.The emotional element makes the narrative extra exciting as it runs toward the climax: We look forward to seeing Hagen and his new friends find triumph, and there's great anticipation of Lili being reunited with him. Yet this is unfortunately where 'White god' falters a bit.We don't quite get the catharsis we were hoping for. Hagen and the other dogs get a chance to give as good as they got as they run the streets, but it doesn't reach the crescendo that we want it to be. Lili does find Hagen, but their reunion doesn't induce the burst of heartfelt tears we expect to find ourselves having.The ending itself is very satisfying, and ultimately the perfect capstone for the film, especially from a purely artistic viewpoint. Still, after 2 hours of watching Lili and Hagen endure hardship, we want a greater sense of resolution than we get. As a result, as good as the movie is, we're left feeling a bit unfulfilled.Although imperfect, 'White god' is absolutely worth watching. One should note a content warning for animal cruelty, and a bit of blood, but it's all movie magic: Apart from the trained canine stars, every dog that appears on the screen was a shelter pet that found a home after production wrapped. Now there's a happy ending!
Reviewed by JohnDeSando

Not your Mom's Lassie.

"Don't be afraid, they're just a bunch of dogs." Man at a club.Well it's not the surrealistic Cujo with its rabid St. Bernard or the benign Benji. White Dog, rather, feels like a realistic horror film, at least till the closing when it does get surreal. Indeed, these mutts are not "just a bunch." They loosely represent the abused and subjugated underclass of the world, and you guessed it, they revolt like apes from that infamous planet or workers from Metropolis.Until that fantasy ending, where the dogs are let loose to wreak havoc, the story is an effectively scary progression of the dog Max's descent into rabid madness through various masters, the last of whom teaches him how to kill for dog fights. Young Lili (Zsofia Psotta) befriends Max as a stray until she's forced to let him go—on to his bloody career. Lili's struggles to keep the dog put her in opposition to her father, Daniel (Sandor Zsoter),and most authoritarian situations like playing in an orchestra under a controlling maestro.As the drama slowly exposes (think about Hitchcock's measured exposition in The Birds) the constant abuse stray dogs are accustomed to, it parallels Lili's battle with a clueless father and abusive dog catchers, who sometimes resemble Ghostbusters in their uniforms and bungling dog chases. In either case, dog or girl, adults are usually clueless about the suffering they inflict on their dogs and children.Like the poor French of their Revolution, the downtrodden and dogs will have their day. Today's increasing gap between the rich and poor or the brutality of Mid-Eastern ISIS persecutions can serve as the objects of writer/director Kornal Mundruczo's figurative story. For those not interested in English-major deconstructions, White God (the title may be homage to Sam Fuller's White Dog) is a fine horror story about the voiceless downtrodden rising up against their oppressors. No matter which side you're on, it's a disturbing tale, bloody and depressing, elevated to artistic worthiness by an uncanny fusion of the real and the surreal.
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