My Life as a Dog (Mitt liv som hund)
My Life as a Dog is an astute, sensitive portrayal of the turbulence of childhood, and won Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallström world renown when the film was first released in 1985, before he went on to produce schmaltzy blockbusters such as Chocolat and The Cider House Rules.
Eleven-year old Ingemar, played by Anton Glanzelius in one of his only major roles, is a sweet, spirited young boy whose mischievous exploits drive his frail and ailing mother to despair. In order to bring her some respite, Ingemar is sent to stay with his maternal uncle and wonderfully forbearing aunt in a small Swedish village, away from his churlish elder brother and beloved puppy. The village is home to a collection of eccentrics, including a football-playing tomboy who worries about her burgeoning breasts, a maverick sculptor who adds erotic touches to his creations at the local glass factory, a buxom blonde who poses naked for said sculptor, and a bedridden old man who likes to hear Ingemar read to him out of a lingerie catalogue. Ingemar himself has an eccentric side, and fits well into village life: he is unable to drink out of a glass without spilling its contents all over himself, and has a tendency to get down on all fours and bark manically when overexcited. It’s a harmless, playful gesture but also provides a way for Ingemar to hide feelings of guilt over his mother’s death.
Ingemar is also something of a philosopher, and frequently reflects on the absurdity of existence. What’s the point of being the first dog in space, he asks, if, like the Russian’s Laika, you are left there alone to starve, sacrificed to human progress? How can a liver transplant be called “successful” if the patient dies shortly afterwards? But however baffling these reflections, they help Ingemar maintain some sense of perspective on his own situation. “I’ve been lucky compared to others,” he muses. “You have to compare so you can get a distance on things.”
Hallström’s cast of eccentrics command our interest and sympathy, and possess an integrity which prevents them from becoming the clichés that define some of the director’s later films. The events of the film are seen mostly through the eyes of Ingemar, who takes childish delight in his summer adventures, without ever being able to shake off the sense of regret that accompanies his mother’s physical decline.
My Life as a Dog is a beautiful coming-of-age tale that presents both the trials and joys of Ingemar’s life: his delight in everyday occurrences, the confusion and excitement of sexual discovery, the weight of responsibility surrounding his mother’s death, his fear of abandonment, and the comfort that comes with being accepted into a tight-knit community.
