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My Life as a DogRating:
Release Date: 17 February, 1999 Retail Price: $29.98 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: |
My Life as a Dog Reviews
A film for good readers and those who love them
This truly is a wonderful film that takes place in 1960. It is about a little boy who suffers a series of tragedies, most of all the death of his mother. As is typical in such situations, little Ingemar loved her but doesn't know how deeply he loved her until she was gone. It's a sad lesson, but only one of many he learns in the course of this story, wherein the drama is balanced quite nicely with humor and whimsy. Kinda like life, huh?
The film shows us the deeper wisdom Ingemar attains from his tragedies, but it also shares with us, with a uniquely Swedish touch, the beginnings of his innocent introduction to the idea of sex. Just on the beginning cusp of puberty, Ingemar has a young blonde girlfriend who isn't very interested in the subject but goes along with childlike play about "getting married"; an aggressive tomboy girlfriend who is more interested in the subject than he is, which makes him uncomfortable; a sick old man who has him read often from a lingerie catalog; his uncle, who is obsessed with breasts; and a beautiful blonde woman, a surrogate mother, who poses nude for a local sculptor. These parts of Ingemar's awakening are presented with beautiful sweetness and humor, with scarcely a bit of prurient titillation.
There are so many wonderful characters here that I'll not go into detail, as this review would drag on and on. Suffice to say that the stories told here do a wonderful job of making us familiar with multiple characters and a year in their world. I didn't notice any annoying loose ends dangling, nor any false notes in the story or its execution. The level of acting here is terrific, a testament to Hallstrom's direction, where only a few of the non-speaking childrens' roles carry any hint of amateurishness. There is some nudity and PG language, so take that into advisement; bottom line, even though the film is mostly full of children, it's not a kid's film. Aside from the nudity (which would certainly be more titillating to pubescent boys than adults), the story is about coming of age, told with a nostalgia only grasped by adults.
I was going to comment on the fact that the "dog" title seems ironic with the director named Lasse, but perhaps it's enough to point that out. Somehow the mild humor seems compatible with this lovely little film. Hallstrom is also known for the nearly perfect "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and, unfortunately, the superficially pretty but confused and predictable "Chocolat."
"My Life As a Dog" is a Swedish film with subtitles. The subtitles seem quite thorough, whereas some foreign language films (Roman Polanski's "Knife In the Water," for example) suffer through inadequate subtitles where much is said and little is translated. In this film it's essential to read the subtitles quickly, as they tend to zip past because much is said. Just a note in case you struggle with this aspect of such a film; unfortunately only the Swedish soundtrack is included here, no dubbing into English. I'm generally not much on foreign language films; for years the only such film among my favorites was "Das Boot," until I discovered "Salaam Bombay!" and this gem. It's worth the extra work for sure.
A philosophical review
The title of "My Life as a Dog" refers to Ingemar's obsession of comparing his life to more unfortunates such as that of the Russian space dog, Laika. At age eleven, he does not know that his mother is dying of TB, he only knows she is sick, maybe from reading too much. She mentions that he "will be the death of her" with his antics such as wetting the bed and spilling milk. His older brother, Erik, doesn't help, blaming Ingemar for the problems although he is really more at fault. The boys are sent away for the summer, and Ingemar likes his childless aunt and uncle and the quicky people in the glass factory owned town. Ingemar was told his dog is in a kennel. Upon returning home, his mother's illness becomes worse so Ingemar is again sent away. He finally is forced to realize his mother is dead and blames himself for her death, and the realization that his dog is also gone doesn't help. His uncle convinces him that he wasn't at fault and Ingemar is now free to enjoy his coming of age.
The part was originally written for an older boy, but Anton Glanzelius so enchanted Lasse Hallström that it was toned down.
The movie, which takes place in about 1950 when "I Have a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" was a popular song, is rather sexy for American tastes in children's movies, although it is rated PG-13.
This movie gives you a glimpse into the mind of children and their misconceptions, especially when lied to in an effort to spare them pain. Wether in a "space ship," boxing ring, or falling in love, Ingemar also learns to enjoy life.
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