UR, 101 min.
Director: Lasse Hallström
Writers: Lasse Hallström,
Reidar Jönsson (also novel), Brasse Brannström, Per Berglund
Starring: Anton Glanzelius,
Tomas von Brömssen, Anki Lidén, Melinda Kinnaman, Kicki Rundgren, Lennart
Hjulström, Ing-Marie Carlsson, Leif Ericsson, Ralph Carlsson
Lasse Hallström’s “My Life
as a Dog” is at times a sad story, at times an affirming story. It is always
true to the childhood it represents. It tells the story of a boy whose mother
is very sick. She cares for him and his older brother by herself. It is said
that their father is in the Caribbean working in the shipping of bananas.
Bananas seem a far cry from the cold world of Sweden in this film. So far it
may be just a fantasy of where their father has disappeared.
The boy has trouble staying
out of trouble. His brother is often the catalyst, but it is Ingemar who seems
to reap the most mischief. Ingemar does this thing to feel better about his
life. He imagines other historical situations he knows about that are worse
than his. One in particular that he clings to is the story of the dog Laika,
the first animal sent into space on the Sputnik 2. He imagines that Laika was
up there for months and died of starvation when her food ran out. The truth of
Laika’s fate is not really important to Ingemar’s purposes.
Eventually, his dying mother
can no longer care for Ingemar, so he’s sent to relatives who live in a small
glass manufacturing community. There, Ingemar learns more about living life
than he did with his bed stricken mother. He witnesses the loving relationship
of his uncle and aunt, he plays sports, makes new friends, and even meets a
girl, who disguises herself as a boy because she’s his soccer team’s best
player. She’s getting to that age, however, where her gender will become
undeniable soon.
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