White God

'White God,' or 'Feher isten,' beckons with a promising premise: A young girl's father puts her beloved dog out on the streets, and he must learn to survive as she looks for him. Every film poster, and the first visuals we see in the movie, further promise rather harrowingly that every dog really does have its day.

That is, certainly, the film we get. But it nonetheless seems to fall a little short of expectations.

Most notable about 'White god' are the human and canine leads. Bodie and Luke are the two dogs who accordingly portray Hagen in the film, and they have been expertly trained and are very convincing in their roles. More relatable is Zsofia Psotta as human protagonist Lili. She shines in her performance struggling with an overbearing father who doesn't listen, and determined to find her beloved companion. We feel Lili's frustration, exasperation, and anguish very keenly, emotions readily given life with the young star's capable skill.

Whether one is an animal lover or just especially empathetic around humans, this is a film that's not particularly easy to watch. The experiences of Hagen being tossed out of his home, and what he faces living on the streets, is heart-breaking to see played out on the screen. Likewise, again, Lili's troubles are very understandable: we've all had difficulties with parental figures, and the very idea of losing a pet is almost too much to bear.

The emotional element makes the narrative extra exciting as it runs toward the climax: We look forward to seeing Hagen and his new friends find triumph, and there's great anticipation of Lili being reunited with him. Yet this is unfortunately where 'White god' falters a bit.

We don't quite get the catharsis we were hoping for. Hagen and the other dogs get a chance to give as good as they got as they run the streets, but it doesn't reach the crescendo that we want it to be. Lili does find Hagen, but their reunion doesn't induce the burst of heartfelt tears we expect to find ourselves having.

The ending itself is very satisfying, and ultimately the perfect capstone for the film, especially from a purely artistic viewpoint. Still, after 2 hours of watching Lili and Hagen endure hardship, we want a greater sense of resolution than we get. As a result, as good as the movie is, we're left feeling a bit unfulfilled.

Although imperfect, 'White god' is absolutely worth watching. One should note a content warning for animal cruelty, and a bit of blood, but it's all movie magic: Apart from the trained canine stars, every dog that appears on the screen was a shelter pet that found a home after production wrapped. Now there's a happy ending!