White God

A raw portrayal of canines under suffering and rebellion… -Odi

A raw portrayal of canines under suffering and rebellion… -Odi

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but with dogs.

I loved the cinematography and the great dog acting.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but with dogs.

I loved the cinematography and the great dog acting.

“Give them a little more time.”

It’s movies like this when I’m reminded of that famous Ebert quote “Some people don’t like to be emotionally manipulated. I do, when it’s done well.” Kinda vague, but very much him in its own way.

Obviously, you’ll encounter emotional manipulation in every film you watch, as that’s literally part of film’s intent. But I think he was just referring to being able to see the strings while also simply not caring. Probably the perfect measure of emotion and logic in his eyes to judge a movie.

White God is a great example of this, a piece of work where you can see the gears grinding to extract all the anger, sadness and general catharsis out of you. Director Kornél Mundruczó has so far made some truly upsetting scenarios for pregnant women (Pieces of a Woman also worth checking out) and dog lovers alike, but he’s achieved the balance for me of noticing the strings and no shits given. I’m still crying, and screw you for making me cry, but yeah good on you for making me cry; that sorta thing.

This one especially feels like there’s so much love in its heart amongst the escalating tension and violence in the story. Hagen is such a beautiful creation in cinema, brought to life by Luke and Body, where the dumb blockbuster part of my brain can’t help but look to Caesar from the Planet of the Apes movies (except this actually being good). I watched this mostly because a Youtube video on dog acting reminded me of it. And the rounds of emotional development this gorgeous boi goes through in two hours is one many human actors can only dream of. Sad pricks will never get there; quit and go into finance or something.

The allegory of what seems to be a lower order uprising make this a very engaging take, especially when the film becomes blatantly more militant in that portrayal. It’s also a European family drama, a high octane chase thriller, and at occasional points, a slasher pic. And miraculously, through some of the best dog direction you’ll ever see in a movie, it coalesces quite nicely.

I do wish there was perhaps a better composer at hand that wasn’t so intrusive in certain sequences, and the lead girl is passable but certainly has moments where a more capable child actor was required for the character’s distress, in my oh-so-humble opinion.

I was wavering between a 3.5 or 4, and then the ending happens. There’s a horrific inevitability built into that narrative that we have to accept, yet the film decides to end on something akin to a ray of hope. I don’t think Mundruczó and company are blind to the real world, but there’s a firm belief being held here that something good will come along.

And yeah, truly the ultimate dog movie. A loving, bruising tribute to “man’s best friend”, something we’ve conditioned them to submit to for thousands of years. And ya know what, they’re fuckin done. See it.

“Give them a little more time.”

It’s movies like this when I’m reminded of that famous Ebert quote “Some people don’t like to be emotionally manipulated. I do, when it’s done well.” Kinda vague, but very much him in its own way.

Obviously, you’ll encounter emotional manipulation in every film you watch, as that’s literally part of film’s intent. But I think he was just referring to being able to see the strings while also simply not caring. Probably the perfect measure of emotion and logic in his eyes to judge a movie.

White God is a great example of this, a piece of work where you can see the gears grinding to extract all the anger, sadness and general catharsis out of you. Director Kornél Mundruczó has so far made some truly upsetting scenarios for pregnant women (Pieces of a Woman also worth checking out) and dog lovers alike, but he’s achieved the balance for me of noticing the strings and no shits given. I’m still crying, and screw you for making me cry, but yeah good on you for making me cry; that sorta thing.

This one especially feels like there’s so much love in its heart amongst the escalating tension and violence in the story. Hagen is such a beautiful creation in cinema, brought to life by Luke and Body, where the dumb blockbuster part of my brain can’t help but look to Caesar from the Planet of the Apes movies (except this actually being good). I watched this mostly because a Youtube video on dog acting reminded me of it. And the rounds of emotional development this gorgeous boi goes through in two hours is one many human actors can only dream of. Sad pricks will never get there; quit and go into finance or something.

The allegory of what seems to be a lower order uprising make this a very engaging take, especially when the film becomes blatantly more militant in that portrayal. It’s also a European family drama, a high octane chase thriller, and at occasional points, a slasher pic. And miraculously, through some of the best dog direction you’ll ever see in a movie, it coalesces quite nicely.

I do wish there was perhaps a better composer at hand that wasn’t so intrusive in certain sequences, and the lead girl is passable but certainly has moments where a more capable child actor was required for the character’s distress, in my oh-so-humble opinion.

I was wavering between a 3.5 or 4, and then the ending happens. There’s a horrific inevitability built into that narrative that we have to accept, yet the film decides to end on something akin to a ray of hope. I don’t think Mundruczó and company are blind to the real world, but there’s a firm belief being held here that something good will come along.

And yeah, truly the ultimate dog movie. A loving, bruising tribute to “man’s best friend”, something we’ve conditioned them to submit to for thousands of years. And ya know what, they’re fuckin done. See it.

can i pet that dawg

can i pet that dawg

critical support for the dog revolution

7/10

critical support for the dog revolution

7/10