Mitt liv som hund (1985)

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 | 1950s | Small Town | Uncle | Soccer

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 (as Leif Ericsson)
Christina Carlwind	...	Fru sandberg
Ralph Carlsson	...	Harry
Viveca Dahlén	...	tvättande kvinna
Arnold Alfredsson	...	Mannes farfar (as Arnold Alfredson)
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)
El año del arco iris (Chile) (video title) [es]
Elämäni koirana (Finland) [fi]
La mia vita a quattro zampe (Italy) [it]
Ma vie de chien (France) [fr]
Mein Leben als Hund (West Germany) [de]
Mi vida como un perro (Spain) [es]
Mijn leven als hond (Netherlands) [nl]
Minha Vida de Cachorro (Brazil) [pt]
Moje pieskie zycie (Poland) [pl]
San adespoto skyli (Greece) [el]

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:

Anachronisms: Modern cars are visible during the car journey from the hospital.

Movie Connections:

Features "Double or Nothing" (1952)

Soundtrack:

Far, jag kan inte få upp min kokosnöt

A really great coming of age film

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.