Winner of the Prix Un Certain Regard at Cannes, the Hungarian film “White God” uses 274 live dogs (no CGI) to tell the story of 13-year-old Lili (a wonderful Zsófia Psotta) and her dog Hagen, played by two look-alikes who together give an astonishing canine performance.
When Lili’s father forces her to abandon Hagen, the dog embarks on an excruciating spiral of starvation and abuse. (The movie opens with the biggest no-dogs-harmed-during-filming notice I’ve ever seen. It is needed.) Eventually, Hagen begins to turn on humans — and so do the other homeless dogs of Budapest.
“White God” has been compared to “The Birds,” but there are also echoes of “Lassie Come Home” and even “Dirty Harry.” Director Kornél Mundruczó goes big with allegory, violence, drama and sentiment, and the results are riveting.