My Life as a Dog (1985)

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

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers:

Reidar Jönsson (novel), Lasse Hallström (screenplay)

Stars:

Anton Glanzelius, Tomas von Brömssen, Anki Lidén

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anton Glanzelius	...	Ingemar Johansson
Tomas von Brömssen	...	Gunnar, Ingemars morbror
Anki Lidén	...	Ingemars mamma (as Anki Liden)
Melinda Kinnaman	...	Saga
Kicki Rundgren	...	Ulla, Gunnars fru
Lennart Hjulström	...	Konstnären
Ing-Marie Carlsson	...	Berit (as Ing-Mari Carlsson)
Leif Ericson	...	Farbror Sandberg (as Leif Ericsson)
Christina Carlwind	...	Fru Sandberg
Ralph Carlsson	...	Harry
Viveca Dahlén	...	Tanten i tvättstugan
Arnold Alfredsson	...	Mannes farfar (as Arnold Alfredson)
Fritz Elofsson	...	Mäster på glasbruket
Didrik Gustafsson	...	Farbror Arvidsson, Ullas far (as Didrik Gustavsson)
Jan-Philip Hollström	...	Manne, den grönhårige pojken

Storyline

Ingemar lives with his brother and his terminally ill mother. He may have a rough time, but not as bad as Laika - the russian dog sent into space... He gets sent away to stay with relations for the summer. While there, he meets various strange characters, giving him experiences that will affect him for the rest of his life.

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Plot Keywords:

nude model | reference to laika | smaland sweden | terminally ill | 1950s | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

There are lots of references to dogs in the film. Ingemar keeps thinking about the tragic fate of Laika, the space dog. He claims he doesn't know why that is. He also periodically barks like a dog and run around on all fours. This is a subtle reference to the similarity between his own situation and that of a dog. Dogs are subject to the whims of adults. They are moved around without any say in their own fate. Similarly, Ingemar was also moved around without any say in where he was going. This is why he started barking and referencing Laika more often.

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Goofs

Ingemar's dog is referred to repeatedly as a female despite being visibly male.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ingemar: I should have told her everything. Mom loved stories like that. It's not so bad if you think about it. It could have been worse. Just think how that poor guy who got a new kidney in Boston ended up. He got his name in all the papers, but he died just the same. And what about Laika, the space dog? They put her in the Sputnik and sent her into space. They attached wires to her heart and brain to see how she felt. I don't think she felt too good. She spun around up there for five ...

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Connections

Referenced in Single Father: Episode #1.1 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Spirituals
(uncredited)
Written by Morton Gould

User Reviews

Very real.

"Mit liv sum hund" directed by talented director Lasse Hallström is one of the reasons why I like Scandinavian movies so much. They always have this "real" feeling without ever overdoing things like in Hollywood movies often is the case.

The story is very simple and mainly because of that it all feels very real and heartwarming. Once you have started watching this movie you can't keep your eyes of it. It's a movie you'll easily fall in love with. The movie is filled with some great, emotional and heartwarming moments that are never exaggerated or overused in any kind of way.

There are some great characters, both adults and kids. I think that is the main reason why this movie is great to watch for adults as well as children. The characters are easy to relate with thanks to the "real" feeling of the movie.

A movie that'll not easily forget.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

1 May 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

My Life as a Dog

Filming Locations:

Boda glassworks, Kalmar län, Sweden

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,667, 3 May 1987

Gross USA:

$8,345,266

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,349,284

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF), FilmTeknik

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1