White Tiger Column Review (2026 IDFA)

Myanmar has endured a total of 55 years of military dictatorship over the last century. The latest junta seized power in 2021, abruptly cutting short a decade of civilian rule. Multiple ethnic armed forces have since emerged from the civilian populace, waging a grassroots resistance campaign despite a stark deficit of military resources. One such civilian militia is the subject of White Tiger Column, the opening film of the 39th International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

Following a gruelling 45-day induction period, the camera acts as a close, unobtrusive observer, shadowing a contingent of young volunteers deep in the forested encampments. The training is makeshift yet uncompromisingly rigorous. It is remarkable how meticulously these Gen-Z recruits prepare for combat: words of reason and ideological motivation alternate with relentless physical conditioning, routinely forging sinew and stamina in juvenile bodies. Even more striking is the deepening solidarity among the volunteer soldiers, regardless of gender. In their rare moments of respite, they trade personal confessions—testaments to early years marred by trauma that continue to fuel a righteous fury against the ruling regime. These delicate exchanges yield moments of raw, heartrending, and empowering vulnerability.

This disciplined rhythm of camp life also accommodates the compounding of volatile chemical explosives, lending a deeply uncanny edge to the celebratory cheers that follow minor detonations. Yet these activities expand the horizons of the gathered youth. Punctuated by communal meals preceded by emblematic prayers and reinforced by budding allegiances between humans and animals, these weeks in the woods not only evince a profound comradeship but also passionately articulate a collective yearning for a free, self-sufficient society.

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While watching, I had to repeatedly remind myself that this is a documentary rather than a work of narrative fiction. Canadian filmmakers Robert Mentov, Dwight Jantzi, and Bryan Dickie were granted rare access to the camp, rising to the challenge with a dynamic, kinetic vision that transcends the mere tabulation of young bodies being forged into soldiers. The directors step into the fray proactively and with cinematic grit, translating a nation’s trauma into a commanding visual narrative. The all-inclusive weight of the production delivers a tender, piercing approach to the world’s longest-running civil war.

The civic resistance remains an ongoing battle that points at a bleeding wound. Born from an unresolved, painful reality, White Tiger Column stands as a monument to the resilient community ties forged in pursuit of a common horizon. Moving past predictable documentary templates, the final picture, through its sensitive, deliberate weaving of moments, declares the universal hunger for shared ground and human dignity. What is most exceptional here, even if left unpronounced by the film itself, is the sheer rarity of capturing a civil war from within. The prolific journalistic backgrounds of all three co-directors, coupled with the active political advocacy of the Canadian-Burmese diaspora, converge to create a uniquely vital documentation. In this respect, White Tiger Column serves as a testament to cinema’s latent political weight—a triumph rightfully underscored by the honor of opening a major international festival.

★★★★★

Had its international premiere at the 2026 International Documentary Festival Amsterdam

95’ / Dir: Robert Mentov, Dwight Jantzi, Bryan Dickie / Cinematography: Robert Mentov / Editing: Alyse Ardell Spiegel, Karl Kai / Production: Tom Edgerton for Lightwood Green / Canada