My Life As A Dog Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

One of my all time favourites...

Before Lasse Hallstr?m went to Hollywood to make films like 'Cider House Rules', 'Chocolat' and 'The Shipping News' he made a number of Swedish films of which this 1985 children's is perhaps the best.

Ingemar (Anton Glanzelius) is a 12 year old boy living in 1959 Stockholm. He has to cope with the slow death of his mother from tuberculosis and a separation from his home and his beloved for the summer holidays. He stays with is his eccentric uncle in a small town where life centers around the glass factory and slowly learns to make friends with local people, especially Saga (Melinda Kinnaman).

This a coming of age movie with serious themes, careful character development and a story that is both moving, funny and melancholic at the same time and the refreshingly European style makes it more sincere and believable than any Hollywood adaptation ever could be.

Well, it's 18 years old, made it onto DVD and is still one of my favourites - what more can I say?

Maternal sunshine

Ingemar, a 12-year-old boy, goes to stay with relatives in the Swedish countryside because his mother is ill with tuberculosis and can no longer cope with looking after him and his older brother.

Rather than confront personal realities he derives consolation from freak misfortunes that have befallen others, reasoning that his own life can’t be so bad. Ingemar particularly identifies with the canine cosmonaut Laika, sent to a lonely and uncomprehending death in space. In fact, in moments of stress he gets down on all fours and barks. He remains stubbornly oblivious to the fate of his own dog, and refuses to acknowledge the gravity of his mother’s illness.

But this is a film that lets in plenty of light to counterbalance the gloom. Ingemar comes to terms with his loss and recalls idyllic moments spent with his mother; and village life, literally and metaphorically a breath of fresh air, is observed as whimsical comedy. It ends on an upbeat note.

This is a charming and poignant film that successfully mixes pathos and humour. Avoiding excessive sentimentality it gives an entirely believable account of what it’s like to navigate the physical and emotional uncertainties of childhood while struggling to make sense of the adult world.