Acclaimed dog movie White God is a bore [Review]
News that the government is putting a heavy tax on mixed-breed dogs is devastating news for Lili, a 13-year-old who loves her dog, Hagen, dearly. But Lili's father, a slaughterhouse worker, is no dog lover, and there is no way he'll spend his hard-earned money on that tax, so he mercilessly discards Hagen on the highway.
Lili goes looking for him, and although this plot sounds pretty standard so far, White God has a twist, which won the movie the Prize Un Certain Regard - given to young, innovative filmmakers - at last year's Cannes Film Festival.
Instead of reuniting with Lili, Hagen becomes the leader of a pack of stray half-breeds bent on taking revenge on their abusers.
The movie sends a potent message: the mongrels represent people who have been oppressed and will, if the circumstances are right, rise up and rebel.
Although the Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó was courageous to use hundreds of trained dogs and work with a young actress making her film debut, the movie is boring. Also, dog lovers need to know there are disturbing scenes of dogs being abused and bloody clashes between dogs.