Mitt liv som hund (1985)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers:

Reidar Jönsson (novel)
Lasse Hallström (writer) ...

Release Date:

24 March 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Tagline:

Det kunde ha varit värre. Jag har faktiskt haft tur. Om man jämför...

Plot:

A boy and his brother don't get along well. In order to let her ill mother rest, they're separated and sent each one with their relatives.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Soccer | 1950s | Small Town | Uncle

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Anton Glanzelius	...	Ingemar
Tomas von Brömssen	...	morbror Gunnar
Anki Lidén	...	Ingemars mamma (as Anki Liden)
Melinda Kinnaman	...	Saga
Kicki Rundgren	...	moster Ulla
Lennart Hjulström	...	konstnären
Ing-Marie Carlsson	...	Berit
Leif Ericson	...	farbror Sandberg
Christina Carlwind	...	Fru sandberg
Ralph Carlsson	...	Harry
Viveca Dahlén	...	tvättande kvinna
Arnold Alfredsson	...	Mannes farfar
Fritz Elofsson	...	Mäster
Didrik Gustavsson	...	Arvidsson, dying old man befriended by Ingmar
Jan-Philip Hollström	...	Manne, the boy with green hair

Also Known As:

My Life as a Dog (Canada: English title) (USA)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:Open (rating surrendered: 1987) | USA:PG-13 (original rating: 1986) | West Germany:6 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Boda glassworks, Kalmar län, Sweden

Company:

FilmTeknik

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Modern cars are visible during the car journey from the hospital.

Movie Connections:

Version of "My Life as a Dog" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Far, jag kan inte få upp min kokosnöt

An absolute delight

My Life As A Dog, now this is a total delight. The film follows the life of Ingemar in his 12th year as he has to cope with the slow death of his mother. The film takes place in 1959 in Sweden, and is just right in its atmosphere. Hallestrom works wonders with Anton Glanzelius as Ingemar, and he gives a marvelous performance that is truly touching and real. When his mother can no longer care for him and his older brother, Ingemar is sent off to his Uncle who lives in a small town in which it seems that all the residents work at the glass factory, and he soon becomes part of the town's fabric. His adventures are many,and includes his learning to box from the town tomboy who worries about her budding breasts, the chaperoning of the lovely town beauty as she poses nude for a sculptor, and his reading of a lingerie catalog to a dying old man. The film has been accused at least by someone on this list as being pornographic and prurient which is idiotic and stupid. This is a film about childhood and like most childhoods the film includes several scenes about children's growing awareness and curiosity about sex and their bodies and presents it in a real and sensitive way. A word of warning about the DVD transfer of the film. It stinks. Not only is it not letterboxed, but is full of flaws and looks no better than a video, but it is subtitled, and is still a joy to watch. One of the ten best films I saw in 1985.