Watch My Life as a Dog For Free

Really Surprised!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

First off I loved this film! I've seen Lasse Halstrom's English films after reading the novels and wasn't impressed. I think The Shipping News especially did not capture the atmosphere and humour of the novel. But, I love Swedish cinema starting with one of my favorite directors Ingmar Bergman right up to Pelle the Conqueror. I think the Swedish language, landscapes and climate lend themselves to a distinct flavour. I'd say I went into My Life as a Dog with mixed expectations.What I found was probably the most intelligent coming-of-age films I've seen. I'm sure American's have their soft spot for Stand by me and other coming-of-age films they can directly relate to but for those with a broader perspective, this is a very rewarding film. The acting by all the 10-13 year olds is superb. The story, based on a semi-autobiographical book is tender, touching and realistic. There is an element of fantasy but nothing off-putting or tedious like so many French films (Amelie and A Very Long Engagement being two films I especially dislike).The film is set in the late 50's and apart from the coming of age theme, it deals with boxing - Ingemar something or other beat Floyd Pattersen! -; dogs - apparently the Russians sent a dog in space without enough food and young Ingemar's dog is cruelly taken away from one at a particularly vulnerable time; and a budding sexual awakening guaranteed to rile up prudish Americans even if its innocent and unerotic. I won't elaborate on the plot but would strongly a recommend a viewing for those who appreciate intelligent coming-of-age movies from a different culture. You can decide after first viewing whether or not its appropriate for your children to see. I personally see nothing inappropriate in the themes or the treatment.

A young 11-year-old boy discovers life, death and girls. My Life as a Dog really is as simple as that. Nothing else really happens, but that's what makes it so magical. Ingemar (Anton Glanzelius) leads a simple but complex life where his mother dies young and he is consequently sent to live with his uncle. At first I thought this would be depressing, but this was not the case. I thought his uncle would abuse him; the other kids wouldn't like him etc. I was pleasantly surprised to see Ingemar loved by all.Ingemar meets a girl on the football pitch, gets beaten by the same girl at boxing and falls through a window trying to spy on a naked women posing for a sculpture. He reads the text from an underwear section in a mail order catalogue to his uncles Dad and learns the art of glass blowing. It's all very simple and silly, but completely enjoyable. There are a few uncomfortable moments, which could be misconstrued as inciting paedophilia, but it's just what kids do when growing up. "You show me yours and I'll show you mine" is all part of growing up, it happens to us all. Whether it should be shown on screen is another thing. I found it uncomfortable to watch but I could relate to it, hence making it compelling. This is not a criticism…it's credit. Anton Glanzelius gives a wonderful performance as 11-year-old Ingemar, as do the rest of the cast. The scenery, when it's not snowing, is green and wonderful to look at. The film barely scrapes the 90minute mark, which is just enough. Anymore and it would have been boring. You can only show so much of the Swedish countryside. Lasse Hallstrom's The Shipping News has a similar simple plot, but was boring because it was too long at 111 minutes. 90 minutes is perfect for something so simple.

I'm not a great lover of subtitled films. The highest credit I can give this, is that within 5 minutes, I'd forgotten that they were even there. You cannot take your eyes of this movie. Beautifully filmed with characters who are so real that at times, you feel like you're intruding. I felt so desperately sad for this young lad who nobody seemed to want. He was clearly deeply affected by his mothers illness and was in desperate need of some kind of counselling. Instead, he was sent to live with a relative in a small town. The people there all seemed wrapped up in their little Worlds To an outsider, they all seemed a bit dysfunctional. Sex rears it head at seemingly every turn. Whether it was the dying man wanting his underwear catalogue read to him, the factory worker admiring his co-workers 'melons', the growth of teenage breasts, the artist sculpting the deeply inappropriate image of a woman and her newborn baby...Well, everyone was at it. Does everyone really think and act like this?..Well, probably more than most people think. I really didn't want this movie to end and actually felt at the conclusion, that I would miss seeing the characters. Don't be put off by the subtitles, you won't notice them!

I am dumbfounded as to the reason this film caught flattering attention. I love foreign and art house, and I know why it caught my attention: I watch anything. But I actually stopped watching this tepid tragedy due to disinterest, waited a few days and re-played it, this time all the way through. Despite it's promising subject matter this script is far from adventurous; the boy learns nothing from his experiences and the townspeople are no more eccentric than your average Swede. Due to a miscast of the lead character (he is 12 years old, but the actor seems about 9) the sexual encounters he has are borderline creepy. There could have been a deeper, lost metaphor between the loss of his dog and his thoughts of his dying mother, but if so, it was either lost in translation or wound up on the cutting room floor.If you want an excellent film that tackles looming death or losing a loved one rent "Autumn Spring" or Hallstrom's better venture, "The Shipping News". Hmmm, Death. That reminds me. I was less bored watching the walking scene in "Gerry". Rent that too.