La mia vita a quattro zampe

In 1950s Sweden a 12 year old boy Ingemar (Anton Glanzelius) is sent to live with relatives. His father is away and his mother is slowly dying of some unnamed disease (I think it's tuberculosis) and can't handle him (he's VERY mischievous and always getting in trouble). With his relatives he grows up and learns how to deal with life, love, feelings of abandonment, sex etc etc.

Sounds pretty obvious but it isn't. This film is beautifully directed by Lasse Hallstrom and perfectly captures what it's like to be a young boy growing up. That it takes place in 1950s Sweden makes no difference--all young boys go through the feelings and emotions shown in this movie. Some posters have complained about a (brief) instance of a topless young girl. Well--like it or not, kids that age DO think about sex and do "explore" their feelings with other kids. I actually think it's great that this film didn't shy away from that subject. Glanzelius is just great in the role and has a VERY expressive face (some of the looks he gives are fascinating and hilarious too). An excellent film.

This was a surprise hit in the US in 1985. It was so big Glanzelius actually toured the country with his parents to promote the movie. I remember seeing it in 1985 and loving it--it still holds up. A must-see.

"MY LIFE AS A DOG" is certainly my best film. Especially when I feel somehow composed, this movie always let me notice that such an uneasiness in my heart has been washed by an extremely tender way. Instead of the eradicated dirtiness, unconsciously I get full of warm affection and mildness. About each occurrences in this movie, however, I cannot describe which scene is the most impressive, the sad, or comical, because I think there is no exactly deliberate scene but just a boy's thought and life with his mother, brother, pet dog, other relative, friends, and other villagers.

The very basic natural humanity is vividly presented through those people. For example the boy, who is the main character, is normally of sensibilities and admirable as a 12 years old child. He is sometimes mischief and shows curiosity about girls, other time weeps missing his mom and his pet dog. While the boy seems to be about to get the sadness over and be going to grow mentally as well in the village. Because the people, to say the least, love to share something amusing with others.

Therefore I say that the heartwarming wonderfulness produced by this movie lies in the whole elements. Any fragment cannot be separated even bright sun ray particle in a car, roof fixing noise, and so on. Every details have a reason for being in the movie actually, so feeling moved comes slowly and deeply, top that off, gently. To get a mild temper, this is one of superb movies. For me, this is the best.

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.

"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

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

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.