White God (2014)

White God (2014)

An unpleasant, bizarre, yet brilliant drama about the dark side of man and his best friend

7.3

Movie

Germany, Hungary
Hungarian
Drama
2014
KORNÉL MUNDRUCZÓ
András Hidvégi, András Réthelyi, Attila Mokos
121 min

TLDR

If you have one, please hug your dog for me, thanks.

What it's about

Due to Hungary’s mongrel tax, thirteen-year-old Lili is angry when her dad sets her mixed-breed dog Hagen on the streets. She sets out to find Hagen, while Hagen sets out to find her too.

The take

When we think about dog films, we think about overly sentimental, feel-good flicks, with the dogs sometimes voiced by famous actors, that affirm the relationship between man and his best friend. White God is a dog movie, but it’s not that kind of dog movie. The dogs are not voiced, but yet they feel so personable as co-writer and director Kornél Mundruczó turns Hagen’s time in the street into a series of escapades, some exciting and some downright terrifying, where he evades the cruelty of man. And as the film alternates between Hagen and the young Lili, Mundruczó questions the ways we treat our furball best friends, the way we also treat those that are in our care.

What stands out

Of course, it’s going to be the absurd scene of 250 dogs chasing down Lili. Where else are you going to see a scene like this?

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