©-DR-WHITE GOD (Fehér isten) de Kornél Mundruczó (2014) p10
01/02/2016 06:52 par tellurikwaves
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*
I have never left a review on any movie before, but I was surprised by the bad reviews, so I decided to write my own one.First of all, people were complaining about the 'bad acting', which was actually not horrible in my opinion, and it was the only dark spot of the film. Yes, I did not like the acting of the director, because of the accent he chose, but the others were quite good.
The little girl, who played 'Lili', was annoying in the first 5 minutes, but when the story got more intense, how she acted was so real, actually so Hungarian.I've never watched the trailers, and I am so happy I haven't. I did not know what to expect, so I got a shock in every 10 minutes. I felt sorry for the dogs, and actually cared about every character. Very exciting.The ending is perfect, no more or less than needed. I loved it.
My advice would be: DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILERS, GET SURPRISED !(les trailers c'est de la merde!)
*
White God 9/10 - This is a wonderful movie that plays as a parable about separatism and Hungarian politics during democratic rule. On the surface however lays an entertaining revenge flick against animal cruelty and a drama about the love of an animal towards it's human "the White God". The director uses a mish mash of genre's to keep the audience on it's toes, while paying homage to everything from Fuller's White Dog, to Hitchcock's Birds. The best part of the film was that they hired hundreds of shelter dogs and spent months training them, and after the film, the director and crew worked hard to get every dog adopted! These dogs are some of the best actors I have ever seen. This is a marvelous yet challenging film.
*
So now I have read some of the reviews of White God here, and I felt like I needed to contribute with a different perspective on some of the things that are being said. I usually do not write reviews so bear with me.First and foremost, when going in to watch this movie one has to be prepared for it to be a genre movie - One that features dogs in a way that could make the movie dull if you're not an animal-kind of person, the other thing to bear in mind is that the movie is not meant to be realistic (though it may seem like it in the first half of it) - It is rather more of a "revenge fantasy".
Second: Multiple reviews criticizes the fact that the streets we see the dogs run through are empty: Why does everyone in this fantasy-Hungarian universe hate dogs? Well they don't. And I think people are forgetting that the dogs had already killed human beings when they escaped the dog pound (where they were held awaiting euthanasia because they had been declared: Dangerous to people) - So in the news they warn about the dogs and people are told to stay indoors because these dogs are killers and because there are a couple of hundreds of them and anyone who knows dogs also knows that dogs sometimes become even more dangerous when they are a big group together: Its called pack- mentality.
I really think the critic on this point misses the mark completely, no one in the movie is represented as hateful or evil (except the abusers of Hagen - which is the main dogs name, and not Max, which is a name the abusers give him). An example of this is the 13 year old main characters father: In the first scene we meet him on his job: He works as a meat inspector on a meatpacking plant and this scene is maybe one of the most powerful in the movie. We see the cold, sterile room and a cow carcass being cut open in all its gory - Shortly thereafter we see the father outside the building and then the scene closes with a man walking two cows into the butchery - Its very powerful: Life and death: What is a life? What is a cows life? To the father animals are food -
They are resources. When the father realizes that the daughter is bringing a dog to live with him he is still in a kind of platonic cave - pre-enlightened and even though we as viewers (and animal lovers) are deeply frustrated with his treatment of Hagen, a lot of us also recognizes this type of attitude towards dogs (and other animals alike) or at least aspects of it. But the point here is that the father eventually evolves: Or you could say that the daughter takes up, what in Plato's story is the role of the philosopher: the job of freeing her father from the shackles of the cave and she does so by the way of love: Another powerful message: Not only is love the only thing that conquers all - but the father is testament to the human beings ability to get enlightened - to have empathy and to grow.
This was what struck me the deepest: That it would have been so easy to fall down into the clichés of bad people and good people - But the movies message is opposite: In the end we have the power to look a creature in the eyes and feel something - To understand that they have value besides being resources for human consumption or clothing.
The last thing I want to point out as a main point of the movie, is the theme of loneliness. The main character (the girl) is a teenager - She is clearly estranged from her father - The mother has left, it seems like she has no real friends and the one boy that she likes, likes someone else. One of the other reviews here mentions that the scene in the club was way to long and didn't have a point: I tend to disagree. I think the point was to show the post- modern paradox of a club filled with people - with alcohol and drugs - A place where people go to go out with others and still it can be a place where loneliness is felt more deeply than almost anywhere else -
Just like the girl feels in this movie. She is surrounded by young people: And she is SO alone - The same loneliness fills her life even when she is together with her father: There is a space in the human heart where no other person can go. And here is another strong message of the movie: The relation between human-dog is such that you can be still together - that a look is enough to understand and feel understood, that there is some kind of armor that we wear when we are with other people, that simply falls away when we are with other living creatures.
*
This is film about a little girl and her dog. But when you think this means a teenage feel good movie, think again. In fact, the girl is a rebellious brat, who disobeys her father, insults her music teacher and at one point gets arrested for drugs possession. And at the end of the film the dog is no longer a cute animal, but a killing monster. It's clear this is not a film for the faint-hearted. There's blood, there's killing, there's cruelty, there's violence.And that is exactly the good thing about 'White God'. It's a film about dogs, and it takes its subject seriously. The dogs are not at all friendly cuddly creatures with human qualities, but turn into fierce monsters who take over an entire city.
The animal trainers have done a great job in this film. It's incredible how well the dogs play their part, and do exactly what is necessary for the story. There's one small but wonderful scene with the lead dog character walking over a bridge. Every time he hears an unexpected noise, for example a river ship blowing its horn, he is startled. When he is reassured, and convinced that there is no danger, he walks on. Great scene, great directing.
The most spectacular scene, though, is one that features twice in the film. It is the opening scene, and the rest of the film is shown as a flash-back, leading up to that same scene. It shows a completely deserted city, with only the little girl riding her bicycle and a pack of aggressive dogs roaming the streets. It's impressive film making. That is also the case, by the way, for the very last scene, which has an almost poetic beauty and is featured on the film poster.
I liked 'White God', because it is something out of the ordinary. Serious films about animals are quite rare. Mostly, like 'Free Willy' or 'Beethoven', they are family-oriented feel good movies. 'White God' definitely isn't a feel good movie. And it's not family-oriented either. Moveover, it is well-made, with solid acting, original camera angles and nice cinematography.
I also liked the fact that it is a Hungarian film. I can't remember ever before having seen a film from a Hungarian film maker. It's nice to hear a different language (one that's completely incomprehensible, and has no links with any other language apart from Finnish) and to see the Budapest locations.The only thing I don't get is the title. White God? The film is not about anything white, let alone God. Maybe it's something that only Hungarians can understand.
*
Having worked closely with dogs I was fascinated with the premise of this film and the training behind it. The canine acting is beyond belief and the story really only takes flight when the dogs own the screen. The sight of 200 dogs running in a group makes your hair stand on end. The most fully realized sequence is of the dog fight training, and one is alternately repulsed and fascinated by this brutal subculture. Standout performance by Zsófia Psotta as the young girl who believes in her beloved mixed breed Hagen above all reason. A desolate, dispirited world is fully realized in this film about love and cruelty. Magnificent is the only word that can describe the control the trainers have over the dogs behind the scenes, but you don't even think about that while watching the story unfold.
*
White God if one of those achievement can only be done outside USA. Working with real dogs instead of digital effects; this movie is a cautionary tale about rejection, lack of communication, discrimination and its effects and consequences. Lili owns and loves a half breed dog called Hagen. Her mother planning three month trip with his new boyfriend; send her to live with her father; Daniel; a sour and frustrated man that rejects the dogs from the first moment. Lili try to take the dog with her everywhere but many people complain; including a messy neighbor who calls the dog catcher's.
Adding to the problem that Hungary's law has a tax on half free dogs; and Daniel refuse to pay it because his ex-wife did not do it either. In a moment of anger; Daniel left the dog on the street and Hagen has to find his way back.The world surrounding the streets is far from idyllic. Hagen meets other dogs and somewhat befriends them; but dog catchers appears and capture many dogs. Hagen escapes but is captured by a dog fighter trainer who trains him and soon becomes a violent and salvage dog.
After killing another dog; Hagen escapes again; but is captured by the dog catchers who seeing him hurt; decide to kill him. Hagen who already demonstrated how intelligent and perceiving is; attack the human and release other dogs (hundreds of them) and go on killing spree around the city attacking humans who tortured them putting the city under curfew and creating chaos.
The most outstanding, compelling and moving performance is Hagen itself; played by two dogs; really Oscar deserving.The rest of the cast; specially the 12 years old Zsófia Psotta as Lili are incredible good in a character quite strong, trying to be adult but still too young to be by herself. Everyone of her moments in screen is captivating.In brief; a very intense movie; with a little but necessary gore worth seeing even in video.
*
Lili is eleven years old and has a beloved dog – Hagen. Her parents are split up and when her mother has to go for a 3 month jolly with work to Australia – she has to stay with pops. Only he lives in an apartment where mutts are verboten. All cross breeds are seen as inferior to pure breeds in Hungary.
Despite her best efforts Hagen ends up on the mean streets of Budapest and she, in her innocent way, sets out to find him. Now that is the very simple synopsis for what is a film with so much more to offer. This is a cast of thousands – of dogs that is. All of the mixed breed dogs were untrained and rescued from shelters. The performances are stunning. There are scenes of animal butchery and animal cruelty – so if that will offend then this may not be for you.
It is also a parable about how one species dominates another in the belief it is the superior – and we all know that in parables pride leads to a fall.
This is also shot beautifully in a beautiful city with stunning realism and an eye for the impact that such a powerful story can make. Official entry fro the Academy Awards for best foreign language film 2015 and winner of Un Certain Regard prize at the 2014 Canes Film Festival – this is amazing, original, stunning and highly entertaining cinema.
*
Sort of a modern spin on "The Birds", Kornél Mundruczó's "Fehér isten" ("White God" in English) brings up the issue of cruelty to animals. One might say that the dogs are more human than most of the human characters: these canines have pronounced ways of communicating with each other and picking up on danger, while most of the humans do horrendous things to them.
The song that the band plays is Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #2", which you may have heard in numerous Looney Tunes cartoons, and also in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (Daffy and Donald play it on the pianos and screw with each other's performances). Here it seems to represent the characters' attempt to celebrate everything that they consider Hungarian, even as their countrymen do the most heartless things to animals.So, this is a fine piece of work from the Magyar Republic. I recommend it.
External reviews (liste partielle)
Shooté,battu,Hagen est à présent une machine à tuer
Lili (Zsófia Psotta)
Pour se venger des hommes qui favorisent les chiens de race, une meute de bâtards fomentent une révolution et envahissent la ville de Budapest. "White Dog", le dernier film de Kornél Mundruczó, a remporté le prix "Un certain regard" au dernier festival de Cannes. Pour notre critique ciné Romain Faisant, il fallait au moins ça.
Alors que l’Assemblée nationale a récemment adopté une disposition faisant passer dans le code civil les animaux de "biens meubles" à celui d’"être vivants doués de sensibilité", "White God" du Hongrois Kornél Mundruczó est comme l’incarnation hyperbolique de ce changement de statut.
Un film sombre et violent
Le réalisateur est un habitué du festival de Cannes depuis son troisième film, "Johanna", présenté dans la sélectio Un certain regard en 2005, section qu’il a retrouvée cette année pour y être distingué, après avoir été en compétition officielle pour "Delta" (2008) et "Tender Son : The Frankenstein Project" (2010).
Ce prix met ainsi en avant un film formidable, âpre et percutant, doué d’un fil conducteur canin tant attendrissant qu’effrayant. En effet, s’il s’agit de l’histoire d’une jeune fille, Lili, et de son chien, Hagen, dans la ville de Budapest, nous sommes bien loin d’une aventure à la Lassie ou autre Rintintin.
Sombre et violent, le film est un conte noir sur le traitement des chiens par des humains intransigeants et vénaux jusqu’au jour où la situation bascule avec une ampleur sidérante. Impressionnant et tonitruant, "White God" est un drame acéré et réflexif avec de vrais partis pris visuels et narratifs qui maintiennent constamment le spectateur dans une sorte de cauchemar grandissant.
Celui d’un monde où la rébellion (habilement doublée par celle de Lili envers son père) est animale et vengeresse, dans les rues d’une ville retranchée, l’humain est-il encore capable d’une prise de conscience ?
Un enfoncement progressif vers l'effroi
Le silence règne dans les rues désertes de la grande ville, une jeune fille pédale sans croiser personne, seule au monde ? Surgit alors derrière elle une horde de chiens, les gueules grandes ouvertes, accompagnée d’une musique puissante.
Cette renversante séquence pré-générique contient le caractère anxiogène d’une histoire où traqueurs et traqués vont permuter leur place.
L’originalité du film réside également dans la mise en parallèle de deux destins initialement liés : celui de Lili (Zsófia Psotta), enfant d’un couple divorcé, contrainte d‘habiter chez son père de façon provisoire ; et de son chien, Hagen, que le père (Sándor Zsótér) voit d’un mauvais œil.
À cette séparation mère / fille répondra celle de l’animal et de sa maîtresse. Tout comme la révolte de Lili envers son père trouvera son équivalent dans le comportement rebelle de Hagen envers sa nouvelle condition. Tous deux à leur niveau éprouvent l’étouffement de la captivité et ont soif de liberté.
Lili désobéit plusieurs fois à son père et marque ainsi son émancipation : elle est prête à renoncer à sa place dans l’orchestre dans lequel elle joue de la trompette pour rester avec Hagen.
Ce dernier est un bâtard, ce qui lui attire les foudres d’une société où seules les races pures sont appréciées. Les deux partagent ainsi ce sentiment d’être ostracisés : rejet de Hagen (père, voisine, le professeur de musique) et incompréhension entre Lili et son père.
La caméra, toujours trépidante, contient dans ses mouvements le sursaut qui est à l’œuvre : un enfoncement progressif vers l’effroi.
Un réalisme pétrifiant
Car Lili est obligée d’abandonner son compagnon canin, à sa douceur et sa compréhension (tel "Le joueur de flûte", Jacques Demy, 1972, elle sait apaiser Hagen grâce à sa trompette : scène où son père enferme l’animal dans la salle de bain) vont succéder la rudesse et l’horreur des trafiquants de chiens.
On s’en souvient, "Croc-Blanc" (comme dans la version de Randal Kleiser en 1991 avec Ethan Hawke), était également passé par l’épreuve des combats avec ses congénères. Hagen est pris en charge de la même façon par un adepte des arènes canines qui veut en faire une machine à tuer.
Kornél Mundruczó insuffle avec talent un réalisme pétrifiant à ces séquences de conditionnement qui doivent amener Hagen à devenir un tueur de sang-froid tel que pouvait l’être, malgré-lui, le berger blanc suisse du mémorable "Dressé pour tuer" (Samuel Fuller, 1982).La scène du combat, éprouvante, marquera un tournant dans le rapport de Hagen aux humains. Sachant filmer à hauteur de chien, le réalisateur nous installe dans l’horizon du regard de celui qui subit.
Fidèle à son principe d’immersion duelle, en réponse aux scènes de dressage, il installe en miroir la séquence de la boîte de nuit où Lili sombre dans une attitude qui n’est pas la sienne. Les lumières stroboscopiques agressent l’œil tout comme Hagen est en train de subir son traitement de choc.Séparés physiquement, ils expérimentent chacun une autre facette d’eux-mêmes jusqu’au point de non-retour.
Une mise en scène de la horde remarquable
"Ils ne se comportent pas comme des chiens mais comme une bande organisée", le témoignage du journaliste résume bien la panique qui s’empare de la ville lors de son invasion par les canidés.
Cette intelligente association rappelle le méconnu et pourtant hautement digne d’intérêt "Phase IV" (du génial Saul Bass, 1974)Excellent !! qui faisait des fourmis le vecteur d’une domination en marche. Et si l’insolite "The Doberman Gang" (Byron Chudnow ,1972) nous avait déjà montré des chiens braqueurs de banques, jamais un assaut canin n’avait été montré de cette façon, avec une intensité dramatique crue et méthodique.
"White God" résonne évidemment en creux comme une référence au modèle du genre, "Les Oiseaux" (Hitchcock, 1963), tout en conservant sa spécificité, à l’attaque injustifiée de l’un succède l’horreur réaliste de comportements humains.
La mise en scène de la horde (permise grâce à un dressage remarquable) est admirable, tantôt menace déferlant sur l’entièreté de l’écran, dont les ralentis magnifient le côté colossale ; tantôt troupe à l’affût qui se concerte en aboyant.
Kornél Mundruczó choisit l’empathie envers l’animal qu’il dote des travers du comportement humain (la vengeance) pour mieux en dénoncer les excès. "Tout ce qui est terrible a besoin de notre amour" : mise en exergue, cette citation de l’écrivain autrichien Rainer Maria Rilke plane ainsi sur le film qui, telle une parabole, arrive à provoquer de profonds remous intérieurs dont le splendide dernier plan est l’étendard.
Lili (Zsófia Psotta) et Hagen
Le père finit par jeter Hagen à la rue, à la consternation de Lili. Elle cherche alors à tout prix à le retrouver, tandis que de son côté, le chien passe d'épreuve en épreuve. Dressé pour devenir un chien de combat, Hagen va montrer des capacités insoupçonnées
Ce sixième long-métrage de Kornél Mundruczó, est produit par Viktória Petrányi pour Proton Cinema en coproduction avec Pola Pandora (Allemagne), Chimney Pot (Suède) et Filmpartners (Hongrie), et avec le soutien d'Eurimages, Film I Vast, ARTE-ZDF et du Hungarian National Film Fund[3].
Le réalisateur écrit le scenario du film après s'être retrouvé face à un chien enfermé dans une cage : « J'ai eu honte (…) d'être là, et lui, derrière des barreaux. Je fais partie d'un système pourri et je le perpétue. C'est là où j'ai compris que je tenais un moyen pour refléter ma société. (…) Les chiens sont la métaphore parfaite pour représenter toutes les minorités », raconte-t-il dans une interview. Le titre fait référence à l'Homme optant le « point de vue d'un chien. Et du point de vue d'un chien, le maître est le dieu. Un chien peut de manière innocente et naïve suivre les humains, comme nous suivons Dieu parfois ». L'auteur du film s'inspire également de l'écrivain sud-africain J. M. Coetzee, à propos de son roman Disgrâce (1999), qui rapporte « l'idée que les plantes, les chiens et toute forme de vie sur Terre doit jouir des mêmes droits » et du film Dressé pour tuer (White Dog, 1982) de Samuel Fuller « qui fonctionne parfaitement comme une photographie de son époque »[4].
Le réalisateur et son équipe tournent, enmars 2013 [3], entièrement les scènes à Budapest, capitale de Hongrie, dont la fameuse île Sainte Marguerite (Margit-sziget) sur le Danube, le pont Erzsébet et bien d'autres[5].Kornél Mundruczó dédie son film à la mémoire du grand réalisateur hongrois Miklós Jancsó qui, avant sa mort, avait assisté à la première version, d'une durée de cent cinquante minutes, et lui avait conseillé de la raccourcir en cent dix-neuf minutes[5].
White God est sélectionné dans la catégorie « Un certain regard » et projeté en avant-première enmai 2014 au Festival de Cannes où le réalisateur Kornél Mundruczó récolte le Prix Un certain regard ainsi que Palme Dog pour les deux chiens-acteurs Luke et Body.Après la sortie dans les salles hongroises en ce12 juin 2014 , la Belgique et la France le verront à partir du3 décembre de la même année.
Avant la réception des prix au Festival de Cannes, le critique Aurélien Allin du Cinemateaser résume ce film en « frissons, larmes, euphorie »[6], Jean-Christian Hay de Gala affirme qu'« avec une idée qui n’aurait pu faire l’objet que d’un court-métrage, le réalisateur hongrois nous tient en haleine jusqu’au bout et réussit à faire basculer le spectateur du côté des animaux. Un film au poil »[8].