My Life as a Dog - $9

At the request of a reader, my brother actually, I'm expanding on my quick review of this movie. (See the side bar to the left for other quick reviews)

My Life as a Dog is the kind of movie that I will always enjoy when it is made well. Set in Sweden this movie is a sort of Scandanavian "Catcher in the Rye".

The story centers around two young brothers who constantly fight as all young brothers do, their Mother meanwhile struggles to fight a serious illness while attempting to deal with the two boys. It is decided that the two brothers will be boarded at separate relatives houses for a few months to attempt to allow their Mother to rest and get well.

This story then follows the younger brother Ingemar as he goes to live with his uncle and aunt in a small town full of interesting characters including a neighbour who is constantly and obsessively fixing his roof and an inventor who is trying to perfect a zip line for the kids in town. The most signifigant character in town to the story is a young girl who becomes a friend of Ingemar's while pretending to be a boy so she can play organized sports.

This is an amazingly well told story and a great film about a boy coming of age and dealing with the fact that his the mother he loves is dying. My Life as a Dog touches on many emotional themes, adolescent sexuality, death, and family dynamics to name a few. The adults in Ingemar's life seem to fear telling him the truth about what is going on in an attempt to protect him, ironically this only makes things harder for Ingemar when the truth comes out.

For all of it's intense emotion My Life as a Dog is also quite funny which makes it even more touching. This movie's range is possible thanks to the great writing and superb performances by talented actors.

I highly recommend My Life as a Dog, it is certainly on my 'Watch It' list and I give it a value of $9.