The White King (2017)

Review

88min

Genre:      Drama, Sci-fi

Director:   Alex Helfrecht and Jörg Tittel

Cast:        Lorenzo Allchurch, Agyness Deyn, Jonathan Pryce …and more

Writers:    György Dragomán, Alex Helfrecht and Jörg Tittel

-Synopsis-

Young ‘Djata’ lives a normal idyllic life in a totalitarian state oblivious to the brutal realities around him, but when his father is mysteriously abducted by the authorities, he will come face-to-face with the oppressive realities of his society in this dystopian but historically grounded sci-fi drama based on the bestselling Hungarian novel by György Dragomán.

After honing their skills on the stage and short film, the writer/director/producer team of Alex Helfrecht & Jörg Tittel make their feature film debut with this dystopian family drama and warning story about subservience, state repression and the spectre of totalitarianism which still lingers in today’s world, adapted from Dragomán’s novel which is loosely based on his childhood experiences in Soviet Eastern Europe.

Set in the fictional English-speaking state of ‘Homeland’, a nation with a conflict-filled past but now relatively peaceful and under the thumb of an oppressive state apparatus, young Lorenzo Allchurch stars as ‘Djata’; a schoolboy whose life is turned upside down when his father (Ross Partridge) is taken away for dissent and his eyes are opened to the realities of life. Now alone with his young mother (Agyness Deyn) and branded a traitor by the once welcoming people around him, mother & son struggle to get by in an increasingly hostile society, forced to turn to the boy’s estranged grandfather and regime colonel (Jonathan Pryce) to help reunite the family and end this waking nightmare.

Like all effective dystopian fiction, ‘The White King’ is rooted in the real world which gives it an even more unsettling quality, with the original novel’s author Dragomán no doubt leaning on his experiences in Soviet-era Romania and Hungary and effectively providing a metaphorical peak behind the iron curtain, while crafting a warning tale of what has come before and may yet return.

As such ‘Homeland’ is a regimented agriculture-based society, where physical and mental toughness is a virtue and the glory of the state is an almost religious calling, combining well with the aesthetics of the Eastern European shooting locations to give a the film a communist quality. In fact the only evidence that the story is set in the future are the few glimpses of futuristic technology, hoarded by the leaders of the state and used to maintain their iron grip, while paranoia and fear keep any thoughts of dissidence in check and the idea of personal freedom is nothing but a whisper in the wind.

It’s pretty clear from the core Orwellian narrative that ‘The White King’ is heavily inspired by ‘1984’ and possibly by Aldous Huxley’s work, as well as dystopian sci-fi films like ‘Fahrenheit 451’ and ‘Logan’s Run’, and perhaps more lavish mainstream fare like ‘V for Vendetta’ and ‘The Hunger Games’ series. But thanks to the original material, the vision of the directors and most likely the prohibitively small budget, this is no sprawling epic where the heroes emancipate themselves and the system is undone, instead this is a stark minimalist human drama about the struggles of people stuck in an oppressive and controlled existence, with no silver linings or convenient resolution for the viewer, and as such this may prove to be a film for select audiences.

Perhaps due to its production limitations, ‘The White King’ never really builds much of a narrative context or go more than skin deep into character backgrounds, or indeed the history of ‘Homeland’ and how it became an independent and highly militarised agrarian state. The result is this dystopian narrative which partly serves as a backdrop for a family drama and unconventional coming-of-age story, but the film’s point is clear and well made thanks to an impressive turn from young Allchurch as the lead and Agyness Deyn’s best performance to date as his mother, as well as a solid supporting cast of accomplished and mostly British actors, led by the always impressive Jonathan Pryce.  

Directors Helfrecht & Tittel couldn’t have know how timely their film would become when they made it, given the global events which have transpired in the last year and what seems like a general political and ideological shift to the right, but lest we forget that totalitarianism comes from both sides of the political spectrum, with ideological zealotry and extremism being dangerous and insidious whatever your beliefs may be.

The Bottom Line…

An impressive feature directorial debut which isn’t without its issues nor does it threaten to profoundly move the needle on the dystopian sci-fi drama, but which is nevertheless captivating and depressingly contemporary while being firmly rooted in recent history. A timely warning story about totalitarianism and its effect on the people trapped under it, and the dangers of extreme ideology and control at the expense of humanity, all in a minimalist cinematic package that’s daring enough to resist wrapping the story up in a comfortable narrative bow.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

1984 (1984)

In a war-torn dystopian future, where history is constantly re-written and an oppressed society are governed by a ruthless and manipulative regime, a humble man becomes an enemy of the state when he falls in love and is a accused of ‘thought crimes’ in this stark film adaptation of George Orwell’s often immigrated but never bettered masterpiece.

Directed by Michael Radford and starring John Hurt, Richard Burton and Suzanna Hamilton among others.

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