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 | walking on train tracks | peeping tom | 

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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

Vonnegut's favorite film, per Timequake.

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Goofs

Sound editing: When Ingemar's walking next to the river kicking metal drums, two of the drums are very different in appearance, but give off exactly the same sound.

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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

Features Tiotusenkronorsfrågan (1957)

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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

The joys and heartbreak of childhood...episodic but charming...

I just came across this coming of age movie about a boy's childhood in 1950s Sweden. I expected to change the channel but soon got caught up in the wonderful simplicity of the tale, made especially memorable by the lead performance of the boy Anton whose expressive face mirrors all of his impish thoughts.

As charming as a film of this sort can be, despite the episodic nature of the telling. All of the performances are right on target and the director has woven a tapestry of individual scenes that sparkle with truth and innocence. Makes you examine your own childhood feelings of loneliness or rejection--and the explorations that all of us are subject to.

By all means, a film worth watching. I hope to see it again--and this time from the very beginning. I missed some of the film and would like to see the complete work.

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