Yes folks, Don't confound this feature speaking about wild dogs with Sam Fuller's WHITE DOG and speaking about the nearly same scheme. Both are masterpieces anyway.

Striking modern viewers with a forceful impact, WHITE GOD is a film that dog lovers should fear: it presents a taut and realistic tale of canine oppression and brutality that builds to some satisfying moments, but nonetheless presents near-endless animal cruelty along the way. As a dog lover myself I found it a tough watch, the kind of film that wears its heart on its sleeve for the most part. This overlong Hungarian allegorical tale offers a cautionary fable about the necessity of treating animals well and the consequences that can occur when they're treated badly. The scenes featuring the little girl are repetitive and endless and unnecessary, but the scenes with the dogs are spot on, harking back to classic stories like THE PLAGUE DOGS and WHITE DOG. What's most remarkable is that they were shot via live action with some wonderfully convincing performances from the dogs themselves.

Thematically, foreign films in the U.S. gain acclaim for universality. In the past, directors had pressure from their own country to stay true to their local form while studios wanted to appeal to the huge market in America. Therefore it is an impressive feat that the independent film "White God" out of Hungary is unmistakably European in style and execution, while dealing with unanimously effective subject matter. Cruelty to animals transcends language and customs as a viscerally hated act. However, one man's sacred cow is another man's steak. There are only a handful of species that bridge these gaps. Number 1 with a bullet is man's best friend. Dogs in "White God" are seen as little more than a nuisance in Urban Hungary. The used plot of an adolescent going to stay with the lesser of two divorced parents is less establishing the setting here, and more lulling you into a false state familiarity. Lili is all friction with here jaded father, and his disdain for her only friend Hagen is palpable. Hagen is the Jimmy Stuart of dogs. Not in the "Greatest Dog Actor of All Time" sense, but in the sense that he is the "Everydog." He is lovable, loyal, appropriately misbehaved, and expressive. And since the beginning of filmmaking, any character that provokes this level of emotional involvement will have to take some licks to build conflict. And man does this dog take some licks (Pun shamelessly intended). Lili's father is human but questionably humane in his actions of turning this dog away, adding him to the throng of strays in the city. From the moment of their separation, Lili and Hagen begin to break traditions as "lost pup" and "sad little girl." After the mandatory dodging of the dogcatcher, Hangar gets put through the ringer. His struggles against humanity become a statement against humanity very gradually and unrelentingly. Apart from the singular brutality that Hagen endures, originality is apparent in Lili's life juxtaposed to her lost dog.Lili isn't pigeonholed into the "Lost Dog Poster" wielding girl for 2 hours. She is more than a girl that lost her pup. She is a talented musician, spiteful daughter, sexually confused co-ed, and part of the world that is putting her best friend through hell. Her struggles are tame compared to those of Hagen, but relatable as a teen experience. She is not defined by her lost dog and we are torn between understanding and cynicism for her among these mirrored conflicts. This film is ever-building to the degree of farce by the end. There are customs and specific rules that are foreign to us in the US; but everything that matters is instantly relatable. We can argue that our immediate environment is more conscientious to the vulnerable than this world; but if you can get to the last frame of this film without an ache of guilt, being a White God has done you no favors.

While dredging around Netflix, every so often you come across a title which makes you stop and try to figure out what the film is about. White God (2014) is one such movie. The box art is a young girl riding on a bicycle away from a pack of dogs. Looks kinda indie. Could be horror. Could be an art house flick. Next you read the plot synopsis according to Netflix:"When a cruel father dumps his daughter's beloved dog, Hagen, out on the highway to fend for himself, Hagen not only survives the horror of abandonment, dog fights and starvation, but rouses an angry army of mongrels out to exact revenge."Sounds like a Grind House version of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. Right? Actually, White God is so much more. Between that review and a recommend from Andrew Jupin on the We Hate Movie Podcast, I'm all in.—Continue reading at: www.mockfilmsblog.com