By Quinn Newland
**This is the first of a bi-weekly column spotlighting interesting films on Netflix**
The hardest part about Netflix and it’s seemingly infinite catalog of movies and TV shows, is sifting through all the generic and monotonous garbage that is added weekly. There are always new gems to be found buried deep within the pile of excrement that is routinely shat out each week, and White God is one such gem. A beautiful and yet sometimes hard to watch film that plays out like a modern day fable, it is more than worth its two hour running time.
White God tells the tale of an alternate modern day Hungary, where owning a mixed breed dog is illegal and punishable with extremely high fees. A young girl named Lili is forced to move there with her dog due to circumstances between her two parents. Her father subsequently makes her abandon the dog on the side of the road, setting into motion a chain of events that will change the entire country forever.
What is immediately noticeable when the film starts is the immaculate cinematography. It feels like you are peering inside the pages of a fairy tale. Everything is framed like the pictures from an old storybook. The colors are all at once pastel and yet very vibrant, setting a nice contrast to the very gritty and dark subject material the film deals with.
The human actors do an amazing job setting the stage for this classic class-oppression metaphor, but it’s really the canine actors who steal the show. Hagen, the main dog, is played by two dogs who are brothers. They both deserve oscars for their performance. I don’t think a single audience member will have even the slightest difficulty connecting with and understanding him.
Of course, lots of movies have good actors, camera work, and stories.What set’s White God apart? It really is the symphonic nature of it all. Each part may be singularly amazing, but it’s how they all come together that makes it a masterpiece. From start to finish it’s a journey for your mind, and a feast for your eyes, and the last shot of the film is one you soon won’t forget.
