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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2844798/reviews?ref_=ttexrv_ql_3
*
A proper Hungarian movie
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 !(les trailers c'est de la merde!)
*
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.
*
Author: miav3 from Denmark
13 August 2015
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
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.
*
Author: Ruben Mooijman from Ghent, Belgium
6 December 2014
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This is film about a little girl and her dog. But when you think this means a teenage feel good movie, think again. In fact, the girl is a rebellious brat, who disobeys her father, insults her music teacher and at one point gets arrested for drugs possession. And at the end of the film the dog is no longer a cute animal, but a killing monster. It's clear this is not a film for the faint-hearted. There's blood, there's killing, there's cruelty, there's violence.And that is exactly the good thing about 'White God'. It's a film about dogs, and it takes its subject seriously. The dogs are not at all friendly cuddly creatures with human qualities, but turn into fierce monsters who take over an entire city.
The animal trainers have done a great job in this film. It's incredible how well the dogs play their part, and do exactly what is necessary for the story. There's one small but wonderful scene with the lead dog character walking over a bridge. Every time he hears an unexpected noise, for example a river ship blowing its horn, he is startled. When he is reassured, and convinced that there is no danger, he walks on. Great scene, great directing.
The most spectacular scene, though, is one that features twice in the film. It is the opening scene, and the rest of the film is shown as a flash-back, leading up to that same scene. It shows a completely deserted city, with only the little girl riding her bicycle and a pack of aggressive dogs roaming the streets. It's impressive film making. That is also the case, by the way, for the very last scene, which has an almost poetic beauty and is featured on the film poster.
I liked 'White God', because it is something out of the ordinary. Serious films about animals are quite rare. Mostly, like 'Free Willy' or 'Beethoven', they are family-oriented feel good movies. 'White God' definitely isn't a feel good movie. And it's not family-oriented either. Moveover, it is well-made, with solid acting, original camera angles and nice cinematography.
I also liked the fact that it is a Hungarian film. I can't remember ever before having seen a film from a Hungarian film maker. It's nice to hear a different language (one that's completely incomprehensible, and has no links with any other language apart from Finnish) and to see the Budapest locations.The only thing I don't get is the title. White God? The film is not about anything white, let alone God. Maybe it's something that only Hungarians can understand.
*
Author: storysplicer from United States
11 April 2015
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
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.
*
Author: abisio from Miami
30 August 2015White 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.
*
Author: Tom Dooley from London, United Kingdom
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.
*
Sort of a modern spin on "The Birds", Kornél Mundruczó's "Fehér isten" ("White God" in English) brings up the issue of cruelty to animals. One might say that the dogs are more human than most of the human characters: these canines have pronounced ways of communicating with each other and picking up on danger, while most of the humans do horrendous things to them.
The song that the band plays is Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #2", which you may have heard in numerous Looney Tunes cartoons, and also in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (Daffy and Donald play it on the pianos and screw with each other's performances). Here it seems to represent the characters' attempt to celebrate everything that they consider Hungarian, even as their countrymen do the most heartless things to animals.So, this is a fine piece of work from the Magyar Republic. I recommend it.
