Title: White God
Director: Kornel Mundruczo
Starring: Zsofia Psotta, Luke&Body, Sandor Zsoter, Szabolcs Thuroczy, Lili Monori, Laszlo Galffi, Lili Horvath.
‘White God’ is about dogs, but is not a walk in park. The soaring human and canine acting depicts a powerful and harrowing metaphor on the relationship between superior species and their wretched subordinates.
When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog Hagen, because its mixed-breed heritage is deemed ‘unfit’ by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back towards each other. At the same time, all the unwanted, unloved and misfit dogs rise up under a new leader, Hagen, the one-time four-legged home companion who seems to have transformed according to the blatantly violent experiences he has confronted in the streets. Man’s best friend, hurt by betrayal, seeks vengeance for the brutal exploitation inflicted upon him. Only a symphony of a gentle soul could restore peace in the warfare where man bites dog and dog bites back.
The dark child-canine Grimmlike fable is utterly violent, no wonder it got an R rating. The bloody images will distraught audiences for the Dickensian trait, that uses the battle of animals against humans as the allegorical dominance of white people in the world. The paradox to which the story is brought, within a dystopian setting, evokes current affairs where the war of terror battles to establish the superiority of a civilisation over another, along with its creed. Hungarian director, Kornel Mundruczo, has great mastery in portraying it all through an adrenaline-pumping thriller, that won’t make you sleep at night.
As we accompany Hagen through his plight, subjugation, abuse and almost extermination, we rejoice as we see every single individual who harmed him getting punished. Along with the political allegory, it is incredibly poetic to have the soothing power of music intertwined to a possible amnesty, especially since the harmonious flag of truce is waved by a child, who still hasn’t been contaminated by human beings’ bestiality.
Technical: A
Acting: A
Story: A
Overall: A
Written by: Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
