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 14 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

This film has a 100% rating based on 31 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Goofs

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

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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

Featured in Starfilm (2017)

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Soundtracks

Far, jag kan inte få upp min kokosnöt
(original song title "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts")
Written by Fred Heatherton (joint pseudonym of Elton Box, Desmond Cox and Irwin Dash) (uncredited)
Swedish lyrics by Povel Ramel
Performed by Povel Ramel (uncredited)

User Reviews

Subtitles only - and good for a laugh.

I first saw this film in college. I was skeptical, but came away from it addicted. I own the film and have seen it a dozen times.

First - only watch the version with subtitles. The dubbed version isn't as accurate which destroys the subtle humour which gives lightens the movie enough to make it enjoyable.

This is a "sit alone with a cup of coffee" film, not a "crowd on the couch with beer and pizza movie."

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