White God (2014) User Reviews

Hasta la vizsla, baby!

[The_late_Buddy_Ryan · 7/10 · 22 September 2015]

A rewarding film if you don't expect too much. Even the scenes that don't involve an enormous pack of dogs rampaging through the streets of Budapest or smaller bands of doggy commandos hunting down their human vics have an unreal, fairytale quality. When 13-year-old Lili is separated from her beloved Hagen (great work by Luke and Body, a couple of strays from Arizona), the two subplots may seem a little shaky on their own, but the final scene, when they're reunited, is a moment of real transcendence.

The fuzzy political allegory and the echoes of Hungary's tragic history are somewhat less engaging, IMHO: gun-toting dogcatchers making like an SS Einsatzgruppe, escapees from the dog pound taking to the streets against impossible odds like the heroic rebels of '56, a Roma character ("gyppo" in the subtitles) being cheated and reviled, a downsized professor (Lili's father) demoted to a menial job, even the stray allusions to Liszt and Wagner; could it really be true that owners of "non-Hungarian" dogs have to pay a special tax? (As with other films from this part of the world, you may not be able to tell whether what you're watching is meant to be straightforward realism or some sort of surrealist fantasy.) Horror aficionados will be disappointed by the reticent editing style--FX are limited, and no humans actually had their throats slashed in the making of this film.

TL;DR: fine performances and gorgeous cinematography, an epic feat of dog-wrangling. Even if you're tempted to bail, hang on till that final scene.

A novel mix of a G-rated children's movie and a R-18+ rated horror film...

[DrWilhielmWonk · 7/10 · 10 August 2016]

A novel blend of the old Lassie movies with Hitchcock's The Birds. I was a bit stumped thinking about the intended demographic. Thematically it was a children's movie, but it should also be rated at least R-38+ for animal abuse and gory violence. This leaves us with an imaginary demographic, mathematically speaking. Still I enjoyed parts of the movie, as some sequences are visually amazing, while the dogs are expressive and well-trained.

Agree with the wise reviewer that once said, "It is also a parable about how one species dominates another in the belief it is the superior." Having said that, it's also a tale of huge bastards of the non-canine variant. Not to mention a story of extraordinary vile scumbaggery by a hominem species. In fact, not a single one of the adults seems sympathetic, which makes the movie sort of unique - if not necessarily in a good way.

As a bonus. It was interesting to learn that 100% of all Hungarians are either a**ho***, sociopaths, or both, with the exception of preadolescent girls. (Then again, it is true that much of the Hungarian society in recent years has suffered from virulent strain of xenophobia directed at transitory refugees. Not that it's the only country at that.)

The "I Spit On Your Grave" of animal movies

[storysplicer · 6/10 · 11 April 2015]

Having worked closely with dogs I was fascinated with the premise of this film and the training behind it. The canine acting is beyond belief and the story really only takes flight when the dogs own the screen. The sight of 200 dogs running in a group makes your hair stand on end. The most fully realized sequence is of the dog fight training, and one is alternately repulsed and fascinated by this brutal subculture. Standout performance by Zsófia Psotta as the young girl who believes in her beloved mixed breed Hagen above all reason. A desolate, dispirited world is fully realized in this film about love and cruelty. Magnificent is the only word that can describe the control the trainers have over the dogs behind the scenes, but you don't even think about that while watching the story unfold.

Not your Mom's Lassie.

[JohnDeSando · 23 April 2015]

"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.

A Very Good Idea is Poorly Executed

[jessemobile1021 · 6/10 · 10 July 2015]

The opening and closing shots of White God are beautiful and powerful realizations of Director Kornél Mundruczó's allegorical horror/thriller vision. Unfortunately, much of the movie does not meet this lofty ideal.

White God tells the story of Lili who is forced by her hard-hearted father to leave her dog, Hagen, on the streets to fend for himself. As Hagen falls into a cycle of abuse and abandonment, Lili becomes more independent and forgets about him. Hagen retaliates against his human oppressors by leading his fellow shelter-dogs in an apocalyptic revolution.

Let's get one thing out of the way first: the fact that this movie was shot entirely with real dogs and practical effects is simply masterful. The angry canine horde is the most terrifying group of animals since The Birds, but Mundruczó works very hard to keep the audience sympathetic towards them. Animal Trainer Teresa Ann Miller deserves some sort of award for convincingly training over 200 dogs to convey such a wide breadth of emotion. Although I cringed seeing scenes of abuse and dog-fighting, "they were always happy, and just playing," said Mundruczó to Fangoria magazine.

Unfortunately, the acting of the dogs is by far the best acting in the movie. The actress who plays Lili does this annoying pursed-lip thing that will make you want to smack her through the screen. Lili's father remains a contemptible a** to the very end. Even the evil dog trainer, despite having the most well-scripted character, couldn't be more two-dimensional if he had a mustache to twirl.

To make matters worse, the only parts of the movie that are any good are those with Hagen. Lili's story is droll beyond belief and just feels like a distraction from Hagen. I wish that I could have read this movie as an allegory about man's abuse of animals or as a metaphor for how easily the middle class forget about the poor. Unfortunately, the tediousness of Lili's story, which was obviously written in after Hagen's, kept distracting me from the movie's emotional and philosophical core. When the movie should have been showing similarities between Lili and Hagen, it often simply drove their stories further apart.

Now, don't get me wrong, this was definitely a "good" movie. I would consider it required viewing for fans of horror and suspense. As a dog-lover, Hagen's story really hit the emotional nail on the head. Mundruczó's ambitious vision is, in itself, highly commendable. It is unfortunate that a few poor directorial choices kept this movie from becoming the masterpiece it deserved to be.

Maybe an American remake will fix some of these problems? Probably not...

Very good, if not fully satisfying

[I_Ailurophile · 7/10 · 10 February 2021]

'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!

Hungarian philosophy

[miav3 · 9/10 · 13 August 2015]

So now I have read some of the reviews of White God here, and I felt like I needed to contribute with a different perspective on some of the things that are being said. I usually do not write reviews so bear with me.

First and foremost, when going in to watch this movie one has to be prepared for it to be a genre movie - One that features dogs in a way that could make the movie dull if you're not an animal-kind of person, the other thing to bear in mind is that the movie is not meant to be realistic (though it may seem like it in the first half of it) - It is rather more of a "revenge fantasy".

Second: Multiple reviews criticizes the fact that the streets we see the dogs run through are empty: Why does everyone in this fantasy-Hungarian universe hate dogs? Well they don't. And I think people are forgetting that the dogs had already killed human beings when they escaped the dog pound (where they were held awaiting euthanasia because they had been declared: Dangerous to people) - So in the news they warn about the dogs and people are told to stay indoors because these dogs are killers and because there are a couple of hundreds of them and anyone who knows dogs also knows that dogs sometimes become even more dangerous when they are a big group together: Its called pack- mentality.

I really think the critic on this point misses the mark completely, no one in the movie is represented as hateful or evil (except the abusers of Hagen - which is the main dogs name, and not Max, which is a name the abusers give him). An example of this is the 13 year old main characters father: In the first scene we meet him on his job: He works as a meat inspector on a meatpacking plant and this scene is maybe one of the most powerful in the movie. We see the cold, sterile room and a cow carcass being cut open in all its gory - Shortly thereafter we see the father outside the building and then the scene closes with a man walking two cows into the butchery - Its very powerful: Life and death: What is a life? What is a cows life? To the father animals are food - They are resources. When the father realizes that the daughter is bringing a dog to live with him he is still in a kind of platonic cave - pre-enlightened and even though we as viewers (and animal lovers) are deeply frustrated with his treatment of Hagen, a lot of us also recognizes this type of attitude towards dogs (and other animals alike) or at least aspects of it. But the point here is that the father eventually evolves: Or you could say that the daughter takes up, what in Plato's story is the role of the philosopher: the job of freeing her father from the shackles of the cave and she does so by the way of love: Another powerful message: Not only is love the only thing that conquers all - but the father is testament to the human beings ability to get enlightened - to have empathy and to grow.

This was what struck me the deepest: That it would have been so easy to fall down into the clichés of bad people and good people - But the movies message is opposite: In the end we have the power to look a creature in the eyes and feel something - To understand that they have value besides being resources for human consumption or clothing.

The last thing I want to point out as a main point of the movie, is the theme of loneliness. The main character (the girl) is a teenager - She is clearly estranged from her father - The mother has left, it seems like she has no real friends and the one boy that she likes, likes someone else. One of the other reviews here mentions that the scene in the club was way to long and didn't have a point: I tend to disagree. I think the point was to show the post- modern paradox of a club filled with people - with alcohol and drugs - A place where people go to go out with others and still it can be a place where loneliness is felt more deeply than almost anywhere else - Just like the girl feels in this movie. She is surrounded by young people: And she is SO alone - The same loneliness fills her life even when she is together with her father: There is a space in the human heart where no other person can go. And here is another strong message of the movie: The relation between human-dog is such that you can be still together - that a look is enough to understand and feel understood, that there is some kind of armor that we wear when we are with other people, that simply falls away when we are with other living creatures.

Too much animal abusing for me even if it is fiction

[deloudelouvain · 6/10 · 21 February 2016]

I would not call it a horror movie unless they meant the animal torture that was difficult to see if you are an animal lover like me. The movie is well made if you think about some scenes that have more then one hundred dogs in it. It sure must not have been easy doing that. But honestly it was not my kind of movie. I don't know why I watch this kind of movies sometimes. I just can't stand watching animal abuse even if I know it is fake. The revenge of the dogs is also not very credible honestly. A pack of dogs would never act like that but I guess it's okay because it's fiction. Zsófia Psotta, the kid playing Lili, did a good job though. She obviously has talent as an actress. All in all it's not a bad movie but, if you like me don't like to watch animals getting abused, then I would just skip this one.

White God is a technically and emotionally marvelous film

[willden21 · 9/10 · 23 January 2015]

White God 9/10 - This is a wonderful movie that plays as a parable about separatism and Hungarian politics during democratic rule. On the surface however lays an entertaining revenge flick against animal cruelty and a drama about the love of an animal towards it's human "the White God". The director uses a mish mash of genre's to keep the audience on it's toes, while paying homage to everything from Fuller's White Dog, to Hitchcock's Birds. The best part of the film was that they hired hundreds of shelter dogs and spent months training them, and after the film, the director and crew worked hard to get every dog adopted! These dogs are some of the best actors I have ever seen. This is a marvelous yet challenging film.

A lost-dog adventure story turns into an affecting allegory for a slave-revolt in "White God."

[ryandannar · 7/10 · 19 June 2017]

"White God" relates the tale of a mixed-breed dog who is separated from his owner in a city where dogs -- and especially mutts -- are quite unloved. It is equal parts adventure story, political allegory, fairy-tale, and revenge-flick. Its very loaded title serves as both a provocation, and as an invitation into the film's allegory. On the surface, "White God" is a traditional lost-dog story, concerning the trials an animal must endure before being re- united with his caretaker. Just under the surface, it is the story of a slave- revolt.

The film's allegory is established quite early in the film. Lili is dropped-off by her mom at her estranged father's flat, beloved pooch Hagen in-tow. Lily is a quiet teen with thoughtful eyes. Hagen is a cheerful brown Labrador/Shar-Pei mix. Lily's father has zero love for the dog. He is, apparently, a regulator who certifies meat as fit or unfit for consumption. We first see him overseeing the processing of a beef carcass; this, it would seem, sums-up his feelings about animals. Nonetheless, he humors his daughter on the first night, allowing Hagen to stay -- but neighbors soon spy the dog in his apartment and threaten to report him. "That's a mixed- breed," one of them says, "A street-dog. Is he registered? You know it's illegal to have an unregistered mutt in this building."

Such sentiment runs pervasively throughout the film, and it seems a little heavy-handed -- until you clue-into the fact that this isn't "really" a film about a dog. It's actually an encoded film about prejudice, slavery, and the violence begat by both.

As such, the film makes a pretty interesting watch. Its story is well-told -- and once Hagen is out on his own, the film wordlessly observes him, letting his story play out without narration or any such clunky storytelling device. It reminded me of certain classics of the animal-adventure genre, such as "The Bear" (1988). Some of the mistreatment which befalls Hagen is hard to watch; at one point he's captured and trained to fight, and then made to kill another dog in the ring. There is a parallel to be drawn here to the gladiatorial combat of Roman slaves, but that doesn't make the (simulated) violence go down any easier. Later, Hagen escapes from the city pound -- and as hundreds of freed-and-grateful pooches follow in his path, Hagen leads the mob on a kind of revenge-rampage through the streets. This might have easily turned corny, but the film's allegory keeps this material affecting, even as the plot itself takes a few unlikely turns. And then, happily, the film finds exactly the right note upon which to end -- meaningfully satisfying the requirements of both its dog- adventure story and its allegory, simultaneously.

Critic Matt Zoller Seitz called the film an "R-rated 'Lassie' by way of 'Spartacus,'" and as far as summaries go, that's a pretty good one. He admired the film, giving it 3.5 of 4 stars. On that scale, I'd probably rank it a solid 3. It's an utterly unique film -- one which, incidentally, will be quite difficult for some people to watch, given the (simulated) depictions of violence involving animals.

When dogs act better than humans

[HrutkaPal · 4/10 · 27 June 2014]

After seeing the first trailer, I thought this looks interesting, this might look like a "Planet of the apes" adaptation, only with dogs. Then it won quite surprisingly in Cannes, so this really deserves a watch. Especially since these kind of movies are quite rare in Hungary.

Well, to start with the good things: The main dog (Max) is awesome. Same goes to almost every scene related to the dogs, the pet trainers did a brilliant job. Considering real shelter dogs were used here too, the animal team deserves high applause.

Also from production/directing perspective this movie is really a good step into the right direction. You didn't see a hungarian movie all the time, it's high class, even for western standards.

The list with the bad things will be unfortunately much longer: -The acting is really bad.The main character girl Lili was already annoying enough with her behavior, but with the bad acting performance it was just overall terrible. Same goes to the afghan character played by the director itself. Holy moly, Kornél, where did you get that horrible fake Russian accent? -The story itself didn't make any sense and I couldn't take it serious. It was not explained why literally EVERYONE in the goddamn city (apart from Lili of course) hates dogs now. If you want to build a whole movie about this, better have some explanation. Even a cheesy one (like some infection) or whatever. This is a no go. -100 dogs and a city falls. No really, they set it up like 28 days later. Only there it was a global virus. Here it was like 100 dogs! Of all kind! Not even 100 pitbulls, it was mixed with tiny to big, and none of them really looked terrifying, that would explain why people left their cars in panic on the middle of the bridge. Give me a break. -There is a never ending party scene, which I guess only had one purpose, to promote some song. Also for people with epileptic problems, this will be a hard challenge. -The ending twist was could be predicted after 5 minutes. I'm not joking, you'll see it yourself.

The comparing with "Planet of the Apes" has it's reasons, since both movies have their leader who is doing a revolution, and with one human friend connection. Only 100 strong apes would be a more reasonably threat, than 100 dogs, so it's sadly a bit laughable considering how serious this movie took itself. I find it hard to believe, that police would have big problems catching 100 dogs which are together all the time. They were even in a tunnel,so just block both ends with nets or a fence.

There you go, you're welcome...

A proper Hungarian movie

[arielistic · 9/10 · 15 July 2014]

I have never left a review on any movie before, but I was surprised by the bad reviews, so I decided to write my own one.

First of all, people were complaining about the 'bad acting', which was actually not horrible in my opinion, and it was the only dark spot of the film. Yes, I did not like the acting of the director, because of the accent he chose, but the others were quite good. The little girl, who played 'Lili', was annoying in the first 5 minutes, but when the story got more intense, how she acted was so real, actually so Hungarian.

I've never watched the trailers, and I am so happy I haven't. I did not know what to expect, so I got a shock in every 10 minutes. I felt sorry for the dogs, and actually cared about every character. Very exciting.

The ending is perfect, no more or less than needed. I loved it.

My advice would be: DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILERS, GET SURPRISED !

Great movie, very interesting

[subxerogravity · 7/10 · 6 June 2015]

A strange day in the life from a dogs perspective Luke and Boy play a dog who accompanies a girl to stay with her father while her mother's away. Hardship hits when Lili's new environment is not dog friendly.

It's like the movie Homeward Bound. LiLi and the dog get separated and he attempts to find his way back to her, but it's far from Disney story telling as the dog deals with animal catchers who feel more like crooked cops, the dog pound that acts like a prison, and an underground dog fighting circuit that feels like an early Jean Claude Van Damme movie.

It's action pack, horrifying, dramatic, and touching all at the same time And though a movie from an animal's perspective is not new, it's never been done it such an adult matter.

Thumbs up

What? Why? Who? White God?

[geluidsdrager · 3/10 · 12 December 2014]

A youth-movie , tho not for the very young: Occasionally pretty scary. With a few scary adults ( like the dog-trainer, with his hoodie and sunglasses after dark) , some coarse language("pichabo this" "pichabo that" ,however it didn't come through in the Dutch subtitles ( aimed at children?)) , a small bag probably containing some kind of drugs but hardly visible and , as befits youth-movies , puzzles which are not explained, like: Who was the dead person from whom Lili took the ringing phone out of his pocket ? How did her father escape the closed cell at the slaughterhouse where he locked himself in to find a fire-thrower,not to mention what is a fire-thrower doing in a slaughterhouse? And why is the movie called White God?

The acting of dogs is ,for a youth-movie, acceptable, but you can easily guess there is somebody on the set telling them what to do. They look around all the time. Besides that, most of them do not look evil at all. Especially in one close-up where you see the main dog, Hagen, showing his teeth a few times. Just a friendly dog, told to show his teeth. Add some growling to the audio-track and you've got whole school-classes in shock and awe.

Social references I could not find. Although I was hoping for one when the dog was helped while on the run for the dogcatchers by a homeless person, but that hope was already destroyed within 10 seconds, making me even doubt the filmmaker's intentions, depicting a homeless as a mindless jerk selling the dog for a few bucks and a meal to a restaurant owner. That restaurant owner actually had a Bin Laden poster on one wall.Why? (No one knows...yet another puzzle,a mystery, not to be solved, or even taken notice of.) Or....on the other hand.....did I just mention two examples in the movie of hidden mainstream Hungarian prejudices against homeless people and non-western restaurant owners? I hope I'm wrong.

Also very strange , and IMHO useless and kinda cheapo , is that the opening-sequence of the movie is actually a direct copy a sequence near the end of the movie, although never in the movie we 'went back in time' or experienced any other kind of flashback story-telling. My guess is that the director did that to give the producers a good feeling at the beginning of the movie, so that they don't have to watch the entire movie, since they usually never do. Us, movie-goers, just have to understand and accept that.

Here in Holland 'White God' has been promoted as "Ominous like Hitchcock's 'The Birds', but with dogs instead!' Forget it. It is what I just overheard during the end-titles someone in a row in front of me whispering to the person next to her: "..Disney...".

Dogdom

[westsideschl · 6/10 · 7 August 2015]

Do you like dogs? Well, there are a lot of them. A story that is sort of allegorical in that the dogs' behavior, which was instilled by their masters (White Gods), is turned against these gods as the dogs become like humans - capable of loyalty, devotion, but also of hate, rage, killing.

I thought some of the roles (dogs or humans) were a little too over-the-top not believable to get emotionally involved. We have bad - parents, merchants, musical conductor, animal control specialists, dog trainers. As for the dogs, although well trained, seemed too well trained.

Storyline is simple. We have a girl, independent beyond her age, roaming the streets at night searching for her lost dog. She finds her dog, but it has changed for the worse. Can it be saved?

Beautiful when it is, pointless when it's not

[InklingNation · 6/10 · 12 May 2015]

J. M. Coetzee's novel Disgrace, which Kornél Mundruczó was adapting into a theater play when it inspired him to loosely base a film on it, pops up in bits and pieces of White God's plot line. The estranged father-daughter duo, the fact that Daniel used to be a professor of some kind, the violent attacks of a long-oppressed minority, etc. But the more important feature of the novel, one that really looms writ large everywhere you look in this movie, is the idea that at some point we're all called to answer for the crimes of our group (our family, our nation, even our species).

In the most striking scenes Mundruczó explores the predicament that once an oppressed minority rises in rebellion, it often views the majority as a totality. Not everyone who got slaughtered in slave rebellions, for instance, was a cruel and despicable slave owner. Thus, when the dog rebellion really gets going, after having disposed of the individuals who wronged Hagen directly, the dogs are ready to tear apart Lili, even if she used to be his only human "friend".

The solution, while cinematically beautiful, does pose a problem of its own. Either that or Mundruczó is merely pointing the problem out in a cinematically beautiful way. As Lili and Daniel lie down with the dogs - in opposition to the proverb that those who do are bound to get up with fleas - there are two ways to view the scene. Either Mundruczó is being a bourgeois elitist and saying that, in order to placate the oppressed, the majority should somehow, possibly through charity and so on, stoop to their level. Or he is attempting to show that, in order to avoid social catastrophe, the majority should somehow accommodate the oppressed minority's perspective in its own - and "lowering" to that perspective is simply due to the fact that in Mundruczó's film the oppressed happen to be dogs.

Either way, White God is a wonderful piece of cinema only where it pertains to these questions. The plot that it uses to get at the main topic, as well as its execution, rarely exceeds the confines of a clunky family melodrama. And the Wagner references seemingly go nowhere.

Every dog has its day in this brilliant apocryphal tale from Hungary.

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 9/10 · 6 August 2015]

Lili is eleven years old and has a beloved dog – Hagen. Her parents are split up and when her mother has to go for a 3 month jolly with work to Australia – she has to stay with pops. Only he lives in an apartment where mutts are verboten. All cross breeds are seen as inferior to pure breeds in Hungary.

Despite her best efforts Hagen ends up on the mean streets of Budapest and she, in her innocent way, sets out to find him. Now that is the very simple synopsis for what is a film with so much more to offer. This is a cast of thousands – of dogs that is. All of the mixed breed dogs were untrained and rescued from shelters. The performances are stunning. There are scenes of animal butchery and animal cruelty – so if that will offend then this may not be for you.

It is also a parable about how one species dominates another in the belief it is the superior – and we all know that in parables pride leads to a fall.

This is also shot beautifully in a beautiful city with stunning realism and an eye for the impact that such a powerful story can make. Official entry fro the Academy Awards for best foreign language film 2015 and winner of Un Certain Regard prize at the 2014 Canes Film Festival – this is amazing, original, stunning and highly entertaining cinema.

(also featuring in The Mancunion), "Barney Weston tells us about the strengths and weaknesses of this Hungarian movie about dogs."

[therocksbarneyreviews · 6/10 · 11 March 2015]

"White God", and known in its native language as "Fehér isten", and Hungary's nominee for this years Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, charts the relationship between a girl called Lili (played by Zsófia Psotta) and her dog Hagen (played by twin dogs Luke and Body). Yet when Lili's father dumps Hagen on the streets because of a new tax on mixed-breeds, although the film attempts to place an equal focus on both Lili and Hagen, the latter's story is much more compelling, and for the first time I've seen in a live-action film, we have a dog as the main character.

At this stage in the film, "White God" shines when Hagen is on screen. With an origins story comparable to that of Caesar's in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", once Hagen is dumped on the streets he is found and trained up to be a fighting dog. From here the familiar canine domestic nature we are all used is beaten out of him. Yet it's in moments like when Hagen wins his first fight, almost killing the other dog in front of him that we can tell that Hagen doesn't like what he's done nor what he's been forced into. For a dog to convey this sounds ridiculous and considering that, it's impossible not to mention how well edited and directed these moments are by Kornél Mundrucźo.

With this in mind, what can't not be mentioned are the moments when this occurs en masse. The film's final scenes are very similar to those from "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", except without the CGI. Watching hundreds of dogs charge down an urban road alongside Lili on her bike reminded me what cinema had been made for. Mundrucźo can't be criticised in regards to these, but what he can be criticised over is how he fits them into "White God" as a whole.

Considering this, as well as how "White God" is ultimately too long, lacks a clear message, and manages to make every human who appears on screen instantly forgettable, the film is generally quite poorly executed. But what shouldn't be criticised is how, considering that anything else close to similar to "White God" is plagued with CGI, Mundrucźo managed to make me come out of Cornerhouse feeling refreshed. Would I recommend "White God" to the average cinema-goer? No. But I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have their faith in cinema restored.

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Not a Disney dog's tale

[abisio · 10/10 · 30 August 2015]

White God if one of those achievement can only be done outside USA. Working with real dogs instead of digital effects; this movie is a cautionary tale about rejection, lack of communication, discrimination and its effects and consequences. Lili owns and loves a half breed dog called Hagen. Her mother planning three month trip with his new boyfriend; send her to live with her father; Daniel; a sour and frustrated man that rejects the dogs from the first moment. Lili try to take the dog with her everywhere but many people complain; including a messy neighbor who calls the dog catcher's.

Adding to the problem that Hungary's law has a tax on half free dogs; and Daniel refuse to pay it because his ex-wife did not do it either. In a moment of anger; Daniel left the dog on the street and Hagen has to find his way back.

The world surrounding the streets is far from idyllic. Hagen meets other dogs and somewhat befriends them; but dog catchers appears and capture many dogs. Hagen escapes but is captured by a dog fighter trainer who trains him and soon becomes a violent and salvage dog.

After killing another dog; Hagen escapes again; but is captured by the dog catchers who seeing him hurt; decide to kill him. Hagen who already demonstrated how intelligent and perceiving is; attack the human and release other dogs (hundreds of them) and go on killing spree around the city attacking humans who tortured them putting the city under curfew and creating chaos.

The most outstanding, compelling and moving performance is Hagen itself; played by two dogs; really Oscar deserving.

The rest of the cast; specially the 12 years old Zsófia Psotta as Lili are incredible good in a character quite strong, trying to be adult but still too young to be by herself. Everyone of her moments in screen is captivating.

In brief; a very intense movie; with a little but necessary gore worth seeing even in video.

Flawed but fascinating

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 18 March 2018]

Striking modern viewers with a forceful impact, WHITE GOD is a film that dog lovers should fear: it presents a taut and realistic tale of canine oppression and brutality that builds to some satisfying moments, but nonetheless presents near-endless animal cruelty along the way. As a dog lover myself I found it a tough watch, the kind of film that wears its heart on its sleeve for the most part. This overlong Hungarian allegorical tale offers a cautionary fable about the necessity of treating animals well and the consequences that can occur when they're treated badly. The scenes featuring the little girl are repetitive and endless and unnecessary, but the scenes with the dogs are spot on, harking back to classic stories like THE PLAGUE DOGS and WHITE DOG. What's most remarkable is that they were shot via live action with some wonderfully convincing performances from the dogs themselves.

Cinical and traumatizing!

[oui_cest_beau-1 · 5/10 · 29 March 2015]

Things I don't buy/like about this film:

1.)Who springs on child care provider "oh by the way, you also have to look after a dog" the day the child is dropped off? 2.)Who leaves their daughter with their ex who doesn't treat her like a human being...for 3 MONTHS?! 3.)Is everyone in Budapest horrible, to everyone, all the time? 4.)If you were a teenager being treated like garbage by every adult around you, wouldn't you have more to fire back than just an angsty retort? 5.)If you are filming a dog in a persistent state of teeth-baring, what the hay are you doing to it to get that response?!!!

I don't know what the story is trying to show us about human nature because if this is your view of how a story would play out, PLEASE watch some other movies that might inspire some joy in your life, and DON'T MAKE THIS ONE!

For all the fun of seeing a huge pack of dogs running amok in a city, this movie crew really knew how to suck the life out of enjoying any part of it for this audience member.

Boo!

Hungary's Dogs Finally Have Their Day

[amsciforum · 10/10 · 29 March 2015]

If it's true that no dog was harmed, and all were adopted afterward, then this sounds like a timely and telling mirror of the unspeakable and unforgivable human abuse of all the other sentient species on the planet (including humans!). May the dogs' day come, everywhere, and soon. But let it not be vengeance, but mercy and justice.

Most of the monstrous harm we do to helpless animals we do not out of necessity for our safety, health or survival, but out of apathy and greed. Even making a movie at their expense is suspect. But art can sometimes be redemptive rather than just hedonic and self-indulgent.

We live in an era of images and transparency. And most of us are not psychopaths; we are just in a state of ignorance and denial of the monstrous suffering that we inflict, needlessly, on other sentient species. We've outlawed it toward our own species. Subjugation, slavery, colonialism, rape are now all abolished. But real psychopaths will continue doing it to people as long as we continue to support and sustain it toward other animals.

Perhaps images like these will help dispel the ignorance and denial, at long last. Too late for all the past victims, but in time to spare those to come.

unique wonderful movie

[deadbull-95171 · 22 August 2020]

With it's immense debt to Jack London'w White Fang, about a domesticated dog l that is captured and tormented and trained to fight until it finds it's ultimate salvation with a loving master, this movie still adds plenty of surreal touches until it reaches a predictable conclusion, that still manages to be handled in a way that is not exactly what you'd expect. There's no escaping its corniness, which isn't always a bad thing by any means, and no escaping its humanness and messages about love and cruelty, and the human/animal relationship. All in all, predictability and corniness notwithstanding, I could not get away from it for a minute, found it genuinely touching and interesting, the brilliant management of the animals in this movie is unlike anything I've seen before in any movie that comes to mind. So......it all adds up to a very different experience and carries a real emotional punch. Most of the time i find the foreign movies, at least it's been my good luck, so vastly superior in every way to most things that come out of the USA, better then anything and everything from "hollywood', meaning a per movie budget that would bail out most countries nation deficits. The tiny % but vast majority of Indie horror genre stuff is about the only place creativity still exists in anything made in this evil sold out dehuminized place.....how could one expect art to come from the USA?

When the trailer and the synopsis of the movie is off topic

[meng-eric · 6/10 · 12 December 2014]

The scenario of the movie is kind of shaky. The whole movie is supposed to deal with a tax inflicted to mixed race dogs owners, but it is actually never explained. The lack of explanation of the context take away all the credibility. At the end, the movie is ONLY about a girl and her dog. If you're looking for a political, sanitary or whatever kind of conflict, you're in the wrong place.

The human acting isn't great but all the scenes with dogs are simply great. I have to congratulate the director and the dog trainers for such a hard and amazing job.

Also, I believe the trailer was great, a mix between a little clue on the movie and a breathtaking cinematographic job. And I think subtle trailers that do not tell everything on the movie can work. But the problem here is that the very best visual scene of the movie actually IS the trailer... So that sets the expectations for the film much higher than it is supposed to be.

Anyway, if you take away all the violent scene of the movie, I think White God would actually be a good Disney film.

Pointless

[sesack4th · 1/10 · 2 August 2015]

This movie is an excellent choice if you would like to use the DVD as a target for skeet shooting. Other than that I can't imagine any reason for the making of this film. It has no redeeming qualities. There are no characters that I could find any sympathy for. Even the lead dogs weren't that appealing. That was because one isn't given any chance to see a relationship develop between Lili and her dog Hagen. Before this I had never met I dog I wasn't drawn to. Hagen, in my opinion, was justified in all of his actions, but there is no way he would have behaved that way. (I'm trying not to drop to too many spoilers). I am visiting Budapest next month and I hope the people there are not as horrible as they have been portrayed by this movie. There wasn't one nice adult - or child - even Lili forgot about Hagen quickly. Her mother took off with no provisions made for Hagen. She had to know the laws against mixed breed dogs and that Hagen would be taken from Lili almost immediately. The mother had money to spend the summer in Australia but none for the tiny fee that could have been paid to save Hagen and Lili's heart ache. Could there actually be anyone other than a serial killer in training that would murder a sweet little Jack Russell terrier? At the end of the movie I looked at my grand daughter and she said "Well that was pointless!" Well said!