Mein Leben als Hund

My Life As A Dog, now this is a total delight. The film follows the life of Ingemar in his 12th year as he has to cope with the slow death of his mother. The film takes place in 1959 in Sweden, and is just right in its atmosphere. Hallestrom works wonders with Anton Glanzelius as Ingemar, and he gives a marvelous performance that is truly touching and real. When his mother can no longer care for him and his older brother, Ingemar is sent off to his Uncle who lives in a small town in which it seems that all the residents work at the glass factory, and he soon becomes part of the town's fabric. His adventures are many,and includes his learning to box from the town tomboy who worries about her budding breasts, the chaperoning of the lovely town beauty as she poses nude for a sculptor, and his reading of a lingerie catalog to a dying old man. The film has been accused at least by someone on this list as being pornographic and prurient which is idiotic and stupid. This is a film about childhood and like most childhoods the film includes several scenes about children's growing awareness and curiosity about sex and their bodies and presents it in a real and sensitive way. A word of warning about the DVD transfer of the film. It stinks. Not only is it not letterboxed, but is full of flaws and looks no better than a video, but it is subtitled, and is still a joy to watch. One of the ten best films I saw in 1985.

This odd little film relates the story of Ingemar, a boy who learns about life, death, loss, and practically everything else. The boy is a charming little fellow, and all the odd people he meets are also charming in their own ways.

Because his mother is dying and his father is off in some other part of the world, he and his brother are split up. Ingemar goes to live with relatives in another town. There he must learn the meaning of the strange things that happen in life. He develops a simple but profound philosophy: no matter what happens to him, "It could have been worse." He even has to deal with the thought that he was not wanted by his parents. He distances himself from the pain in his life by comparing his predicaments to things he has heard about in the great, strange world beyond the little town where he lives.

This is an amusing, quaint film that shows us that life goes on no matter how difficult and hurtful it seems. Not only that, we can smile like the little boy in the face of all adversity.

This is an emotionally powerful (and sad) film about a boy coming to terms with the fact that his mother, who he loves dearly, is dying. It is also about being a child in a world where everyone older than you treats you with great condescension. Adults make decisions affecting his life without so much as asking for his opinion. No one talks about death, but it is in the back of his mind at all times. Everyone tries to hide what is really going on, as if "what you don't know won't hurt you", but the boy is hurting badly.

There are no car chases, shoot-outs, or space aliens in this film. This film is about real life, about growing up, and about children's sexuality. It is told wonderfully well, from a child's perspective.

A magnificent film.

"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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I finally got to watch this film from beginning to end last night, after having caught glimpses of it on television. What is there in this film not to love? Beautiful Swedish landscapes in summer and winter. Attractive blond haired children or women. Hilarious eccentrics who spend their entire lives hammering nails into their roof shingles. Children on the cusp of puberty who engage in a completely unrepressed journey of sexual discovery without tilting the film into x-rating.

This is a true story based on the life of a real child whose mother was a famous Swedish writer, who had a terrible temper and also died of a disease of the lungs. As a special, there is a delightful interview with the director which is insightful on several levels. He talks about what it was like working with the child actors and how natural they were about their work. He talked about how he only realized how unconsciously hooked into the film he had become after seeing it several years after completion. The reason given was that he too was the child of a famous writer/mom who needed her space and privacy. He too had children and then was divorced. So, on many levels he found the film a cathartic experience AFTER he had watched it in a theater and watched how other people responded.

What is clear about this film is that it is charming without being cheap or smarmy. The unpretentious manner in which a touching and sad story is told is such a joyful antidote to the average Hollywood film. Unlike most American films which say too much, are too loud and spoon feed all thinking into the audience with the assumption that we are dumb, insensitive and unable to connect the dots, this drama delights with it's simplicity, allowing the drama to come to us in an unhurried telling. This film won several awards and most deserving it was. At the end we both cry and smile at the outcome. What is strengthening to know, is that the real life boy whose story this is, thrived. A really great film indeed.