My Life as a Dog (1985)

A mischievous young boy with a Puckish smile, unusual table manners, and a sympathetic kinship to Laika the Soviet astro-dog is sent by his ailing mother to live with relatives in the country, where he discovers a town full of people even more eccentric than himself. Director Lasse Hallstrom's popular Swedish import offers a refreshing look at the mysteries and heartbreak of adolescence, with all the charm but none of the cloying sentiment of other, similar coming-of-age films. The rich humor is drawn around an affectionate portrait of small town life, closely observed; the pain comes from the realization that young Ingmar's bedridden mother has already passed away. The pace is often lazy and the film is overlong, but Hallstrom's understanding of human idiosyncrasies is reminiscent of a Jacques Tati comedy, choosing to laugh with instead of at his characters. It's a memorable look at love and mortality, as seen from the innocent eyes of a boy passing through that awkward age when he begins thinking like an adult while still unable to stop acting like a child.

Fmovies: 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.

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."

My Life as a Dog fmovies. I'm not a great lover of subtitled films. The highest credit I can give this, is that within 5 minutes, I'd forgotten that they were even there. You cannot take your eyes of this movie. Beautifully filmed with characters who are so real that at times, you feel like you're intruding. I felt so desperately sad for this young lad who nobody seemed to want. He was clearly deeply affected by his mothers illness and was in desperate need of some kind of counselling. Instead, he was sent to live with a relative in a small town. The people there all seemed wrapped up in their little Worlds To an outsider, they all seemed a bit dysfunctional. Sex rears it head at seemingly every turn. Whether it was the dying man wanting his underwear catalogue read to him, the factory worker admiring his co-workers 'melons', the growth of teenage breasts, the artist sculpting the deeply inappropriate image of a woman and her newborn baby...Well, everyone was at it. Does everyone really think and act like this?..Well, probably more than most people think. I really didn't want this movie to end and actually felt at the conclusion, that I would miss seeing the characters. Don't be put off by the subtitles, you won't notice them!

This Swedish film offers a different kind of story and a strangely appealing one.

Anton Glanzelius is good as the 12-year-old who not only stars in the movie but does a good job narrating it as well. When he finds himself in a tough situation, he always compares himself to something worse, such as a Soviet space dog and its unfortunate lot. The tomboyish-looking young girl who flirts with him, Melinda Kinnaman, is fun to watch, too. I wonder what she looks like now as an adult?

For kids that young, I thought there was a little too much emphasis on sex, but mostly it's just natural curiosity of what the other sex looks like, and the intentions are innocent.

Overall, it is a charming film with almost all (one exception: his older brother) likable people.

"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

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