With her mother leaving the country for several months due to work, young Lil has no other choice but to move in with her father. Along with her beloved dog Haden, Lili moves in to her father's home, but it quickly becomes clear that He isn't that fond of the animal. When the State discovers Haden, they demand he pays the tax for having a mixed breed animal, leaving the the father to refuse payment, abandoning Haden on the streets in front of Lili's eyes. Kornel Mundruczo's White God is a clever, angry fantasy film that uses an incredible amount of dog actors to tell a striking albeit vague parable that winds up being more bark than bite. White God truly has two lead protagonists, with Lili and Haden occupying a lot of screen time, interweaving their paths back to each other. The much talked about orchestration of dogs in this film is certainly impressive, but what White God is able to do with its dog actors in important emotional scenes stood out. White God deserves a lot of credit for creating some immensely emotional sequences with Haden, as this dog is thrown onto the dark streets of society, being abused and around the stench of death. The human side of the film is what struggles in White God, with a lot of the characters motivations feeling forced to serve the story. White God portrays Hungary as a sad and bleak place, with the father, Lili, and Haden feeling unloved and unappreciated. Be warned, towards the end of White Dog takes on the persona of a horror movie, with Haden and his other sheltered and abused friends (dogs), lashing out on society in violent ways. While I must admit there were times I had trouble taking the film seriously, it must be understood that this film is very much in the fantasy realm, being larger than life in some respects in an effort to trumphet its blurry message. White God's parable is up to interpretation, but the film does show the reflective nature of negative forces on society, with abuse and neglect along Haden's journey turning him violent towards society. The film could be interpreted as a commentary on Immigration or class status, but I tend to think the film works best if you just consider it a film about the importance of love.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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