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Average customer rating:

My favorite movie
One Part Humor, One Part Poignant, One Part Disturbing
One of the top ten films ever made
One you won't forget
No "dog" here: this movie is terrific

My Life As a Dog (1985) (Sub)
Starring: Anton Glanzelius , Tomas von Brömssen , Anki Lidén , Melinda Kinnaman , and Kicki Rundgren
Director: Lasse Hallström
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

General | Art House & International | Genres | VHS | Video

Hallstrom, Lasse | ( H ) | Directors | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

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ASIN: 1572523581
Release Date: 1998-11-24

Amazon.com

Simultaneously elegiac and raw, this uneven--but unforgettable--tearjerker tells the story of Ingemar, a 12-year-old working-class Swedish boy sent to live with his childless aunt and uncle in a country village when his mother falls ill. Beginning with several representations of the most savage, unsentimental domestic intensity imaginable (interplay between a sick parent and loving child has never looked anywhere near as explosive), My Life as a Dog wisely doesn't attempt to maintain that level of danger; rather, the change in locale to rural Sweden is accompanied by a slackening of pace and a whimsical breeziness. Nevertheless, the tragic condition of Ingemar's mother (and later, the indeterminate fate of Sickan, his beloved dog, consigned to a kennel) hovers over the narrative with a gripping portentousness. At times, director Lasse Hallström misplaces the rhythm, and the film threatens to degenerate into a series of rustic vignettes; luckily, Ingemar's relationship with Gunnar, the jocular yet somewhat sinister uncle who essentially adopts him, carries a fascinating charge. In Swedish, with subtitles. This was later rewritten, whether intentionally or not, by Spike Lee, who changed the gender of the child, set the story in New York City, added a 1970s soul soundtrack, and called it Crooklyn. --Miles Bethany

Customer Reviews:

My favorite movie.......2006-08-09

Why is this my favorite movie? Because it simply presents life, in all its joys, griefs, paradoxes and mysteries. What puts this movie in a class by itself is the spirit of hope that runs through the movie, especially in the main character, Ingmar, whose indomitable spirit shines in the face of change and tragedy. Yet the movie never drifts into sentimentality. In the end, it's a movie about the mystery of love.

The central theme is Ingmar's "life as a dog." Like the dog that was shot into space by the Soviet's without regard to its safe return to earth, Ingmar, like most of us, seems to have been "shot into life" alone. The movie is a series of vignettes that combine in what seems to be a haphazard manner, but reflects, to my mind, the most meaningful and transcendant moments of our lives, moments that simply cannot be categorized.

These moments are funny, sad, tragic, hopeful, and above all, poignant. The scene where Ingmar boxes with his tomboy friend, ending in an embrace, defies words in its sublimity. The scene in which Ingmar's mother breaks down, is absolutely heartbreaking. And the wistful scenes of Ingmar's "marriage" to the neighbor girl, and his brother's description of intercourse to the neighborhood children, will remind you of the revelations of youth.

But there are insights into adulthood as well, as the happy-go-lucky uncle, and his happy but impish bride, contrast with the prim and glum foster parents, the perverted modern artist, and the man who is perpetually fixing his roof.

In the end, you'll be celebrating with Sweden, as Ingmar (get it?) Johanson triumphs over Floyd Patterson. Hurrah Sweden! Hurrah humanity!

One Part Humor, One Part Poignant, One Part Disturbing.......2005-06-04

"My Life as a Dog" is a most unusual and most enjoyable movie. It is a Swedish film which I watched with the aid of subtitles. It would seem to qualify as a "coming of age" movie because it is about a 12 year old boy and his learning about sex and human fraility. Yet there is so much more to the story that it seems wrong to limit its' definition.

I missed the first couple of minutes of the movie but I doubt that there was some grandiose explanation as to what was about to transpire. What I saw was the story of a 12 year old boy (Ingemar) whose mother is ill enough that it affects their relationship. (His father is not a part of his life). At times she is his best friend and at times she is his worst enemy (with his brother a close second). Maybe that strikes us somewhat of our own relationships with our parents at that age. However, this relationship seems well beyond the ordinary. Ingemar has a child's normal curiosity and he seems to always being doing the wrong thing; usually as a result of something his brother did. This strains his mother's frail health. At one point, the mother needs so much peace and quiet that Ingemar is sent to live with his uncle up north. There the movie takes a turn for the better from our perspective. His uncle is a happy-go-lucky fellow who takes Ingemar under his wing. Ingemar makes many friends and seems to be having such a good time that we think it's too bad that he has to return home to mama after a few months. However, the director lets us know that home is where Ingemar's heart is. His heart is also with his dog who was sent to the kennel when Ingemar left for the summer. Well, enough of the plot.

The many scenes throughout the movie are well written directed and acted. Sometimes the movie seems more of a sequence of scenes rather than a movie with a theme. However, the theme is there and it was the title of the movie that helped me see it. Ingemar has a number of scenes where he shares his youthful thoughts and observations. He is fascinated by Laitka, the Russian dog who went up in space (this movie takes place around the late 1950's). He understood Laitka to have died because the Russians did not send along enough food or make any arrangements for his return; they just used him for their purposes and then were done with him. I understood this to be Ingemar's life to that point. He was brought into the world without any proper provisions for sufficient love and nurturing. His future is unplanned as he is sent to wherever he'll fit in without any real concern as to what best for him. Ultimately, there is no place for him to return to.

This is an excellent movie that combines a great script, excellent directing, and very good acting. The cast is all new to me and they were well-assembled. There are a lot of unusual characters that give the movie a special sort of seaoning.

"My Life as a Dog" is not a depressing movie. Rather, there is hope as the movie leaves us knowing that Ingemar has lost his two best friends in the world but has just discovered that he is starting to find some replacements.

One of the top ten films ever made.......2005-05-30

This movie tugs at your heart strings in a completely honest way. The movie does not patronise or make pathetic the boy hero who has to endure. It is the very opposite of saccharine glop.

It is a profoundly optimistic and yet realistic movie. The movie is peppered with memorable eccentric and kind characters.

One you won't forget.......2005-05-04

This movie is tragic and charming, a strange dichotemy that works well. The connection the boy feels to Laika, the abandoned Russian space dog, is painfully on target, and fuels the movie. I did a project on this movie for a film class I had in college. I've seen it several times, and each time enjoyed it, despite the weird sexual stuff that seems to spring up every so often. It's not a vulgar movie by any means, just honest. If you have a brain in your head, you'll enjoy it. Trust me.

No "dog" here: this movie is terrific.......2005-03-28

This is a neat little movie about a 12-year-old boy (Anton Glanzelius) who tries to make sense of his mother's terminal illness, death in general, and a world full of change. He tries to cheer his mother up as best he can, but she is too far gone to really notice or care. His fondest memories are times spent at the beach with her when she was healthier and their times together were better. As a coming-of-age movie, sex plays an important (and confusing) part for the boy, from the old bedridden man in the upstairs apartment who likes him to read the lingerie ads to him, to the tomboy who is the best soccer player on his team and keeps trying to show him her breasts. The movie is full of wonderful, insightful touches. Glanzelius is marvelous. A real gem of a movie.

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