Did I Like This Movie?

White God is a film about dogs running around and killing those who’ve mistreated them. Ironically the dogs use the skills those who have tormented them instilled in them to get their revenge. The sight of a hundred dogs running through the streets of Budapest is something to behold. I just wish the rest of the movie were as compelling. 

The story begins when a thirteen-year-old girl, Lili, is dropped off with her father for three months while her mother goes to an academic conference in Australia. A talented trumpeter, Lili brings along her pet dog Hagen. Her father wasn’t informed the dog would be coming and treats the animal like garbage. It doesn’t help that his relationship with his daughter is fractured by prior unseen and unmentioned events. Another complication ensues when a law restricting non-Hungarian dog breeds is put into effect and Animal Control come sniffing around. After a few misunderstood teen/jerk dad father scenes Lili runs away with Hagen. Once the father finds her, he’s so angry he makes her abandon Hagen. 

Once he’s abandoned we switch to following Hagen for a while and bear witness to his sad-dog adventures. He befriends a little mutt, and cycles through a series of owners, such as a homeless man who sells him to a dog-fight trainer, who sharpens his teeth to a razor-fine points and taunts him until he learns to lash out. Hagen becomes a great dog-fighter. He eventually escapes the compound he’s held in, but is captured by Animal Control and sent to the pound. Hagen then leads a rebellion against the guards and escapes Animal Control with all the other dogs. 

The escaped dogs rampage around the city. The city is forced to go into lockdown. The dogs kill the dog-trainer, the lady from Lili’s apartment who narced about Hagen being in the building, and others. It’s pretty insane. At the very end, Lili manages to calm the wild dogs by playing her trumpet, and they all lay down as the sun rises over the city. As I write this, I think maybe I just need to see it again to appreciate it more.