Getting along with Aslan is a tough proposition, but that seems appropriate enough for a boy whose name means lion. At age 11, Aslan is no longer an adorable child forgiven for every peccadillo, but neither is he a teenager able to entertain feelings of basic responsibility. Aslan feels wronged when his teacher assigns him the part of a dwarf in his school’s presentation of Snow White. Fortunately, he is temporarily able to unwind at the local dog fights. There he witnesses the defeat of an old scrapper named Sivas, who is then left to die in the mud by his disappointed owner. And, of course, Aslan saves Sivas’ life. Yet he doesn’t consider the pooch his new best friend, more as a means of gaining respect. SIVAS is German-based Turkish director Kaan Müjdeci’s feature debut. His forte is revealed in his ability to transform individual scenes into eloquent, deftly composed film images. Moreover, SIVAS is engaging for the mood of authenticity engendered by the harsh Anatolian winter. The director also succeeded in casting superior child nonactors and (it goes without saying) the excellent dog who plays Sivas.