Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Perfect cast and a good story

Load of rubbish!!

How sad is this?

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.

After a fair wait I finally had a chance to see this film and I can't say that I was disappointed. It's a great cast that deliver strong performances throughout. The film doesn't feed you every answer - this can occasionally take it to the point of feeling disjointed, but it comes across as a deliberate effort to make it jarring rather than any deficiency in the script. I was left wanting more - it would suit a short series but on reflection I was glad it resolved the way it did. This film didn't need wrapping up with a bow. It didn't need to be clean. If it had either it wouldn't be the film it is. The art direction is particularly strong - distinct and consistent, fully in keeping with the world it portrays. The score supports and enhances the story well. Is it perfect? Maybe not, but It's an engaging watch with some high points that lift it above many others in the genre.

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.

This is a heartfelt and touching story of a boy growing up in an unnamed totalitarian state. (I'm not an expert on this but was reminded of Stalinist propaganda). He and his mother try to find his father after he's taken away (as a clear dissident), trying to enlist his grandfather (a patriot of the regime) and finally appealing to the regime itself. It's also a coming of age story as the boy's eyes are opened gradually to the state he's living in.It's beautifully designed and shot and the boy and his mother (Agyness Deyn) give terrific performances. A first feature which has had time, love and attention poured into it and a lovely gem of a film - deserves to be widely seen.