Biting back: White God, the movie

Winner of Prize Un Certain Regard at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, White God is a Hungarian movie about a vengeful canine uprising. The protagonist is a mongrel named Hagen, who was heartlessly abandoned by his family. His owner was Lili, a 13-year old girl who brought him to her father’s home. Instead of welcoming Hagen, he was enraged and refused to pay the fees taxable due to the state laws against mixed breed dogs. Hagen was left alone and lost, forced to fend for himself. 

The movie chronicles Hagen’s journey, exploring the issues of oppression, discrimination against mongrels, and animal cruelty. Finally, he meets other dogs in the same plight, and together they revolt against humans. These dark themes promise to tug at your heartstrings, and make for a truly heart-wrenching watch. 

The cast includes 250 dogs, all of whom were awarded the Palm Dog Award for their remarkable performance. These canine actors were true rescue hounds, and had to undergo six months of intensive training. Even then the script had to be amended because some scenes were simply impossible to film. Despite this, the movie features some impressive canine sequences, as showcased in the trailer.

White God is in theatres now.

For more information and to read an interview with director Kornel Mundruczo, visit http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/422899-white-god-director-kornel-mundruczo-on-his-less-family-friendly-dog-movie.

Photos by Magnolia Pictures.