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)

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: Gunnar is supposed to be from Småland, yet he speaks with a strong Göteborg accent. Both of these are "Geatish dialects" (Götamål) however the dialect of Göteborg differs enough from that of Småland that it is jarring to those who are familiar with Swedish dialects.

Movie Connections:

Version of "My Life as a Dog" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Far, jag kan inte få upp min kokosnöt

Emotionally powerful film about childhood

This is an emotionally powerful (and sad) film about a boy coming to terms with the fact that his mother, who he loves dearly, is dying. It is also about being a child in a world where everyone older than you treats you with great condescension. Adults make decisions affecting his life without so much as asking for his opinion. No one talks about death, but it is in the back of his mind at all times. Everyone tries to hide what is really going on, as if "what you don't know won't hurt you", but the boy is hurting badly.

There are no car chases, shoot-outs, or space aliens in this film. This film is about real life, about growing up, and about children's sexuality. It is told wonderfully well, from a child's perspective.

A magnificent film.