User reviews

I saw this at the opening at EIFF For once a movie that shows us an adolescent understanding how propaganda can blind you, and standing up for himself in a believable real life scenario. No sci-fi gimmicks or ninjas here- which is a reason why it may not appeal to some people. But this is real life, and if you are 12, these are the means you have at your disposal. How propaganda and politician's lies can deceive us is very topical at the moment - in national and international politics. The narrative is at times disjointed and I was not sure if it reflected the episodic nature of the original novel or the disorientation of the child (an excellent Lorenzo Allchurch) facing the realisation his world is different from what he believes A particularly believable performance by Jonathan Pryce as the grandfather torn between duty and love.

I enjoyed this new film and also, as a small rule, I am generally really interested to see new directors'/producers work. Especially when the is a dearth of good stuff coming out of the established US/UK areas, well picked Edinburgh Film Festival!

It was interesting and although one can see allusions, references etc to established works such as Orwell, Huxley and so on - well they do say there are only 7 stories in the world! - this is a new take on it.

Loved the the boy lead actor, and Deyn (who I thought surprisingly good and natural) loved the cinematography and the story of a (particularly relevant today) dystopian society, there were others that also stood out, although I was a little surprised to see De Lint who I have not seen for a very long time on the big screen.

Moody and thought provoking with one or two touches of brilliance. Not perfect (a first film n.b.) but the fact that I was engaged throughout says it all.

Potential. But I think it failed to convert from the book into a film. The backdrop with violent kids just rampaging, and no one paying attention to that, to the ending that offered nothing. I have no idea what the film was wanting to achieve. I think they wanted to make this a triple series but maybe realised it was just weak material and gave up. either that or the editor is owed his or her $500 fee and withheld the last 20 minutes of the film. Watch it or not it is one of those that won't make a difference. Sad really, had a lot of potential in there. I think you could have gone to 20 random people in the street and they could have made that 50% better

This was a visually a stunning film about a charmed Dystopian world filmed on location I think in Hungary. Uncomfortable to watch through the innocent boys' eyes as he realizes all is not as it seems..... Very good acting from young newcomer and all the cast - some terrifying twins like something out of Mad Max. Jonathan Pryce always hits this characters spot on. Agyness Deyn very natural. Strangely topical in our current climate in 2017... Who really knows what is what and of course, a child sees things differently. Never read the book, which clearly has undertones of 1984 and other classics.A great first film from a new producing/writing/directing team.

Ten Stars. My wife's parents grew up in one of the socialist paradises, Bulgaria, and they recommend this film as the most incisive depiction of what goes on when the people hand over more and more control of the economy, and with it, education and with that, people's lives, to a government. I do want to comment on one reviewer here who said a scene was copied from George Orwell. Please read Christoper Hitchens' "Why Orwell Matters." Orwell included an actual brainwashing exercise in Lenin's socialist USSR. The white King is not copying Orwell, but rather including in the story a common enough abuse in socialist countries. See this film, and understand why the largest purveyors of violence have always been governments, and especially those claiming to be looking after the social welfare.

"They all will have to lose something. If not you are a traitor."

"The White King" takes place in a future society. Has there been a worldwide, destructive war? A deadly epidemic? Or did a world state succeed in shutting down global communication, after which they could conquer all the on high-tech depending countries by using conventional warfare? And after this invasion, did they install a totalitarian regime? You won't get any real answers to these questions. It looks like a hermetically sealed off camp with no luxury and limited basic needs. The regime can be called fascist. Even a sort of Hitler Youth is present. There's militaristic tradition to honor "The Homeland". The food supplies are managed according to strict rules. And apparently, each home is equipped with an intercom system where the daily production and practical information are announced. The Homeland is not a humanitarian society. It's a society where coercion, control and punishment are key words. And this under the eye of strategically placed surveillance cameras.

Djata (Lorenzo Allchurch) grows up in this commune. A continuing atmosphere of threat and oppression stands in the way of a carefree youthful life. Mischiefs are punished severely (with boxing irons). And when he tries to get a football back from some older bullies (probably sons of someone high in the military hierarchy), this turns into a violent fight rather than a kind of capture-the-flag game. In addition, his father is being arrested because of politically incorrect behavior. From then on, their live won't be made easy. Their freedom is restricted and certain necessities are taken away from them.

All this is taking place at the foot of an immense statue which can be compared (In terms of dimensions) with the Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro. But in appearance, it looks like an illustration from old Russia when Marxism ruled. This image appears to be a portrait of the dictator who created this community. However, don't expect further explanation about this. The symbolism used will obviously remind you of other past regimes. One regime stricter and more dictatorial than the other. Despite the attempts to create a teenage atmosphere with Djata searching for a treasure, him visiting his influential grandparents and a short-lived intermezzo in a futuristic-looking building outside the guarded area, the atmosphere in this movie remains gloomy and sinister. This is not a dystopian movie such as "The Hunger Games" or "Divergent" where a heroine overthrows the totalitarian regime. This is a rather cynical film about a not so unthinkable world in which human freedom is non-existent. To think that in our present world there are people who actually live in such humiliating circumstances.

The only actors who looked familiar to me, were Ross Partridge and Jonathan Pryce as Djata's father and grandfather respectively. However, their roles were rather limited (although of significance). It's mainly Lorenzo Allchurch and Agyness Deyn who deliver a brilliant performance. Allchurch's naive look at the society he's living in, is gradually being replaced by a determined attitude. It's not always high-quality, award-winning acting but admirable to play such an important role at such a young age. Deyn's part wasn't necessarily self-evident either. A caring mother who tries to protect her son and who would do everything to get her deported man back. The movie doesn't contain any magical and fascinating images full of special effects. There aren't any battle scenes with rebels trying to overthrow a regime either. The story is generally fairly superficial and vague. Certain scenes were quite unnecessary. Like the confrontation with General Meade. This was solely used to show that it all takes place in a distant future. The end is quite sudden and leaves you behind with tantalizing questions. In terms of mood the film is a success. A sober and compromising atmosphere that feels like a lifelike nightmare. A nightmare that nobody wants to experience in person.

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Four stars overall, but seven stars for the idea. Four stars because dialogue was hard to follow with no subtitles; poor enunciation; really poor audio level control, and that's coming from a person w/normal hearing. Seven stars for a dystopian future storyline similar to what China, Russia, North Korea, Turkey, Syria offer the world now (and the US kind of heading that way recently). A trickle down economy in which the wealthy and/or powered privileged keep the masses in line w/slogans w/nationalist religious fervor, and the scraps to keep them sustainable day-to-day. Personal expression of your dreams, etc. are reason for sanction or imprisonment. Appropriately, filmed out of Hungary.

I tend to very much dislike this kind of film-- only because it is so realistically disturbing. This isn't science fiction; it is foresight of grim possibilities. Yet it is reasonably well done.

The White King is a very dark tale of dystopian future in a Nazi-like society resulting from common people giving power to a militaristic totalitarian regime. Clues indicate the country was once free and open. No one expected what was it was capable of becoming. The story provides stern warning about what any government can become given blind trust and limitless authority.

We are not told in the film where this takes place. But enough hints are provided to make one realize this is not Russia, Red China or other lands that have been despotic for centuries and continue so to this day. This was once a shining, "free" society that turned to darkness via a vocal / hysterical minority forcing their views on others until they had cowered everyone else into submission. The strong hint that this could be the United States or Australia presents an intentional cautionary tale to the audience.

The movie's tale is summarized in the animated opening credits. The core of society is ethics, morality and the family unit. When these things are sidestepped, ignored, disrupted for personal-agenda beliefs, no matter how right that society thinks it may be, the freedom-of-beliefs which guarded that society fall one by one until the will of the minority becomes public opinion, hysteria, mass enforcement and finally dictatorship and totalitarianism.

This lesson has been seen time and again throughout history. But now, today, we see modern first-world countries taking steps in the same direction, on a world-wide basis. Those who think "this would never happen here" fail to understand that is exactly what many Germans thought while Hitler crept into power.

Reigns of terror begin with people's willingness to abandon their beliefs and standards in cowardly submission to those more vocal and repressive. This film portrays that from behind-the-scenes, and does so quite well. While it didn't strike me personally as being an exceptional film due to lack of high points and a considerably weak ending (thus the lower stars), the message it provides is clear: those who enforce their beliefs and opinions upon others pave the way for those who enslave.

The film needs a prologue or introduction to set the scene and introduce the 1984-like world it is set in. We are lost from beginning to end about the why-for of everything we see happening. This isn't a mystery novel or a who-done-it after all, why can't the explication be clearer? Who the hell is Young Hank. What is the purpose of the character Pickaxe anyway? Does a viewer really have to read the novel to gain any insights? If so the screenwriter and director have utterly failed. Still the acting is good throughout and the principal and supporting characters are affecting.

This follows a family living in a totalitarian dystopia.

This is a hard film for me to review.

First off, its production is very good. The camera work and direction is great. The characters are very well constructed and the acting is absolutely top notch. The world is quickly and deftly painted using iconography and suggestion. The world is oppressive but not overly brutal making it feel more real and dangerous. I enjoyed every minute of the first hour greatly and was gripped to see what was going to happen.

Here is the problem. Not much does happen. This film has plenty of story, but hardly any plot. Characters are introduced, and adversities befall our leads, but very little is resolved or explored. Any small victories the characters win aren't exploited.

The only analogy I can think of is if you made a film about a waitress who works in a bar in Star Wars. Sure dancing girls are fed to monsters and Jedi come in - but at the end of the day you are still watching someone serve drinks.

Maybe it is my personal taste, I thought I was more open minded than this, but it seems I do need a certain degree of resolution.

I kept the mark high because of the quality of the film making - not sure if I would recommend it though.

An excellent film; set in the near future, I was very surprised at depth of the performances.

If the purpose of a film is to entertain, then clearly this does not qualify. this is supposed to be the future, as seen through the eyes of those who brought it to the screen. a society that (in the main) have no transport, no TV and everything is "state" controlled, so each word and action is monitored and those who step out of line simply disappear either to a prison or worse. Greta Scaatchi is a lesbian General which makes things ever worse. Not seen a film as bad as this for many years and it does not have any form of a conclusion. PANTS in short!

Really, it's a bit an empty movie. Some great shots, clearly the crew is capable, but the movie as it's edited just doesn't go anywhere. 90 minutes of wasted time. It carries the potential to so much more but never really delivers. If you watch it, do it for the esthetics. For the movie in its entirety it is not particularly worth the time.

This movie is well done, but it's cut way too short, and thus it seems to be the pilot of a series rather than a standalone movie.

Those who lived under the communist in Easter European countries will find this movie very relatable. The ending is realistic rather than the ubiquitous happy ending in Hollywood films, but it feels unfinished.

This is a low budget, low-action, dystopian recycled story, apparently filmed in or near Hungary, with good british acting. I don't recommend it, even to dystopia fans. It's STAND BY ME meets 1984 / HANDMAID'S TALE et al. There's little there, there.

Had the potential for a great movie. Casting, acting, and shoot location were executed well but the story and character development was a bit shallow.

I wasted an my time watching this.. waited for the good parts to come..which never came. I can handle anti communist propaganda, like I can handle anti capitalist propaganda..but a movie that has nothing to offer from a story perspective other that some age old cliche about powerless being oppressed and oppressed and oppressed... thats it.. :-( , does not deserve an audience. there is no analysis, there is no justification, there is no other point of view.. there is no..view.. absolutely nothing...a completely boring and empty movie.

It's not your typical story and there is no definite ending. I think this is where the truth lies in the narrative of an ever encroaching dystopian reality. Hope is gone, there is solitude in the midst of struggle and you will conform.

Very well acted and I enjoyed the commentary on what has happened in other countries and what may lie ahead for us all.

The opening credits of The White King are some of the best I've ever seen. A brilliant animation hints at the world we're about to discover. Thankfully the film itself, does them total justice.

It's 1984, it's Nazi Germany, it's north Korea. The society we enter is ruled by a brutal, fascist regime that tries to eke all joy from its people. What sets this film apart is the fact that it's seen through the eyes of a boy whose hope and humanity have not completely been shattered by those who dictate his future. Without revealing too much, the film explores the decisions he has to make and the relationships he keeps, when a close member of his family is accused of speaking out against the regime.

It's an acting feast with a sterling debut from Lorenzo Allchurch who plays the main character alongside actors du jour Agnes Deyn and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, with film royalty Jonathan Pryce and Greta Scacci.

The film is beautifully directed. Country landscapes are bathed in the dreamy sunlight of a late summer's afternoon, in total contrast with the dark, oppressive ways of the White King dictatorship.

It's the future and it's also the present; scarily reminiscent of the current political climate. But not without total hope. Go and see it!

No plot, weak storyline and a stupid ending. Just an all around waste of 90 minutes.