"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.
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.