Fantastic Fest 2019: SON OF THE WHITE MARE
The oldest stories in the world are the myths surrounding legendary heroes and their mighty deeds. Every culture has their stories and these stories have existed in our creative consciousness since (essentially) the dawn of time. Of course it is fitting that a film festival throwback to 1981’s Son of the White Mare would be a part of this year’s Fantastic Fest programming.
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the United States. Every year, from its home in Austin, TX, the fest presents the boldest of horror, science fiction, fantasy and much more! This year marks Fantastic Fest’s 15th anniversary.
Son of the White Mare, directed by Marcell Jankovics, has ascended to cult-classic status due to its psychedelic aesthetic and revolutionary animation for its time. The film is based on Hungarian legends and folktales and tells the story of Fanyüvő, a hero born of a divine horse, and his quest to rescue three fairy princesses from their dragon captors. He is assisted in his quest by his two (occasionally bumbling) brothers.
A Classic Beauty
As one might expect, the film is absolutely stunning. Son of the White Mare‘s look hearkens to the rainbow of colors and the color block structure one might associate with the 70s. Every detail is richly colored and while I wouldn’t call the film’s look delicate, it is beautifully put together. The shots are oddly symmetrical and it makes every frame look like it could be a piece of traditional folk art. It’s incredibly well-done.
The animation is smooth for the time and its interesting to see how distinct the movements of the characters are. Son of the White Mare has aged quite well, in this respect. There appears to be an emphasis on vaguely vaginal shapes, in the first act of the film, it’s subtle but quite brilliant when you think of the film as the origin of the world legend that it is. Evidence of this divine birth and the birth of a legend are everywhere.
However, all of this being said, the aesthetic of Son of the White Mare is almost overwhelming. There is chaos behind all of that loud color and movement. It’s unclear whether that should go so far as to consider that a criticism, rather an acknowledgment that the film is comfortable absolutely screaming its story at the audience.
One of the most notable aspects of Son of the White Mare is the small ways it modernizes a very ancient story. In particular, the “dragons” that our heroes defeat. The villains do not take the shape one would traditionally expect, rather they seem to represent much larger concepts. The first dragon is a magma monster, an ancient and destructive force. The second dragon takes the shape of a tank and is a homage to modern warfare and ammunition. The third dragon, the “boss battle” if you will, is with the monstrous personification of a city and all the vastness of the modern world. It’s damn brilliant to see this classical hero, a relic of a myth from an old land and people take on these more loose themes of modernity.
Back to Basics
When viewing the film through any lens other than its structure and animation, Son of the White Mare is quite simple. Our hero is handsome, bold, and likable. The fairy princesses are beautiful. Our sidekicks are funny and bring the slapstick. It does not take much to be able to watch the film and envision the story being told, in exactly the same way, for generations.
In the tradition of ancient myths, the story meanders along and takes many unnecessary and unexpected detours. The storytelling element is not tightened up and it sometimes feels like we’re stumbling through the plot. There’s very little finesse to the tale, it’s as basic of a fairy-tale as you can imagine. To be perfectly honest, however, this is not necessarily a weakness in the film.
Son of the White Mare sets out with the very basic task of retelling an old story and, in this, it is successful. Yes, the story is incredibly basic even when it’s being told in a fantastical way. But is there anything wrong with that? There’s an elegance that elevates it, one can almost think of it as minimalist modern art in that way.
Honestly, there’s a great shortage of no- fuss storytelling in today’s cinema and it’s refreshing to see it done so well and be so entertaining. Beyond being historically significant and a truly gorgeous film, Son of the White Mare manages to connect with our most ancient arts and make them digestible for any viewer. It comes warmly recommended.
What is your favorite animated feature? Let us know in the comments!
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