My Life as a Dog Reviews

This critically acclaimed Swedish film, which also won kudos for its talented star, Anton Glanzelius, is a tragicomic, sensitive portrayal of adolescence set in 1959. The film centers on 12-year-old Ingemar Johansson (Glanzelius), who lives with his abusive brother (Manfred Serner) and terminally ill mother (Anki Liden). He is not discouraged, however--sure, he has it bad, but not as bad as Laika, the Soviet spacedog who starved to death while in orbit and whose fate haunts the boy. Ingemar's life has begun to spin out of control, and, like Laika, there's little he can do to stop it. When Ingemar is sent away for the summer to stay with relations, he meets a menage of eccentric--and sexually intimidating--villagers; eventually, these experiences give him a sustaining inner strength. Writer-director Lasse Hallstrom's tale is an episodic rite of passage, a story in which the emotions are touching but never sappy, the main character has the integrity and complexity of a real child with real troubles, and the glimpses of village life are rich and engaging. Not just another charming film about growing up, but an expertly directed tale that takes a small, simple subject and colors it with invention and inspiration.