My Life As A Dog

My Life A s A Dog - Björn Isfält

Today I saw My Life As A Dog by Lasse Hallström. He did a bunch of really strong movies like Chocolat and of course What's Eating Gilbert Grape. I didn't particularly like Chocolat, but I cried a lot during What's Eating Gilbert Grape and I was heavily moved by My Life As A Dog. Perhaps it's because of the boy, Ingemar, that I could relate to in some way, or it was that the film felt like Fellini's Amacord or Jacques Tati's Jour De Fete. I like those two movies very much and My Life As A Dog had a "matter-of-fact" feel about it and incredible performances by awesome children. Kids in movies can be hit or miss, but being able to illicit a sense of natural emotion is very difficult. The film felt natural and heartfelt. Very nice indeed. Criterion / Janus films certainly picked another good one to distribute from their collection.