Mitt liv som hund (1985)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers:

Reidar Jönsson (novel)
Lasse Hallström (writer) ...

Release Date:

24 March 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Tagline:

Det kunde ha varit värre. Jag har faktiskt haft tur. Om man jämför...

Plot:

A boy and his brother don't get along well. In order to let her ill mother rest, they're separated and sent each one with their relatives.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Soccer | 1950s | Small Town | Uncle

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Anton Glanzelius	...	Ingemar
Tomas von Brömssen	...	morbror Gunnar
Anki Lidén	...	Ingemars mamma (as Anki Liden)
Melinda Kinnaman	...	Saga
Kicki Rundgren	...	moster Ulla
Lennart Hjulström	...	konstnären
Ing-Marie Carlsson	...	Berit
Leif Ericson	...	farbror Sandberg
Christina Carlwind	...	Fru sandberg
Ralph Carlsson	...	Harry
Viveca Dahlén	...	tvättande kvinna
Arnold Alfredsson	...	Mannes farfar
Fritz Elofsson	...	Mäster
Didrik Gustavsson	...	Arvidsson, dying old man befriended by Ingmar
Jan-Philip Hollström	...	Manne, the boy with green hair

Also Known As:

My Life as a Dog (Canada: English title) (USA)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:Open (rating surrendered: 1987) | USA:PG-13 (original rating: 1986) | West Germany:6 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Boda glassworks, Kalmar län, Sweden

Company:

FilmTeknik

Goofs:

Factual errors: Somehow the two brothers have completly different accents. Ingemar speaks Swedish with a Göteborg-accent, while his brother Erik speaks a strong Stockholm dialect.

Movie Connections:

Features "Double or Nothing" (1952)

Soundtrack:

Far, jag kan inte få upp min kokosnöt

Bittersweet Charmer

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.