Review: The White King

As far as dystopian films featuring young protagonists go, The White King is refreshingly devoid of many of the usual elements that have defined the genre in recent years. Specifically, twelve-year-old Djata (Lorenzo Allchurch) is not heralded as the chosen one come to save society from authoritarian and/or totalitarian rule by overcoming a series of of increasingly dangerous obstacles with the help of plucky, likeminded rebels. Whilst this venture outside the norm is welcome, it doesn't discount the fact that The White King is a film that very much strolls in place for most of its 89-minute running time.

The opening idyll of Djata and his parents enjoying a day out by the river is soon shattered when his father Peter (Ross Partridge) is taken away by two men for speaking out against the Homeland, the fascist agrarian society in which they live. Though Peter has been sent to a prison camp, his mother Hannah (Agyness Deyn) convinces young Djata that Peter has just gone away for a particularly lengthy work assignment.

Tabling Djata's inevitable realisation of his father's true whereabouts, directors Alex Helfrecht and Jörg Tittel focus on the Homeland, which is on the eve of celebrating its 30th year of independence. It appears to be a peaceful society in which all races and creeds seem to harmoniously live together in servitude of the state. Surveillance cameras abound, all the better to capture absences from public gatherings or possibly traitorous murmurings. Yet, for the most part, Djata and his classmates are unregulated, especially when they engage in a perilous war with a pair of teenage bullies (Jeffrey and Matthew Postlethwaite).

Not much else happens. Djata and a pal venture inside the base of a large statue in search for the supposed treasure hidden within. A visit with his paternal grandparents (Jonathan Pryce and Fiona Shaw) results in Djata being goaded by his grandparent into firing a gun. A similarly dangerous encounter with General Meade (Greta Scacchi) features intrigue for Djata in the form of a chess-playing android and humiliation for Hannah, who is resolved to locate and liberate her husband.

Performances are solid all around - Allchurch is especially compelling - but the Homeland itself is defined too diffusely. The striking animated opening sequence, replete with Constructivist images, hints at how the society may have been established but the ensuing film doesn't carry through. As the narrative itself is not wholly engaging and the filmmakers offer scant information on the whys and wherefores of the story's dystopia, one quickly loses any emotional investment in the tale though remarkable visuals and excellent production design do their best to maintain interest.

The White King

Directed by: Alex Helfrecht, Jörg Tittel

Written by: Alex Helfrecht, Jörg Tittel; based on the novel by György Dragomán

Starring: Agyness Deyn, Jonathan Pryce, Lorenzo Allchurch, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Greta Scacchi, Fiona Shaw, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Ross Partridge, Derek de Lint, Jeffrey Postlethwaite, Matthew Postlethwaite, Olivia Williams