My Life as a Dog is the story of a young Swedish boy who is forced to learn some hard lessons about life while living with his distant relatives. I was never entirely sure if we were supposed to see this young man as someone who has an actual developmental issue, but the signs seem to point to the fact that he has ADHD at the very least. He's a strange kid, and his voice-overs are even more unusual, but it is hard not to identify with him, considering some of the struggles he has to go through. There isn't a ton of focused story in this film, instead it is more of a slice-of-life drama that depicts all that goes on in this young man's life as he is going through a difficult time.
This kind of coming-of-age drama isn't exactly something I'm fond of, and my love of dogs didn't help either. That's not to say the movie is entirely without entertainment value for me, though. Some of his time spent in the loving community with his aunt and uncle did warm my heart. Also, while I often struggle with child actors (and Anton Glanzelius was no exception,) I did find Melinda Kinnaman quite delightful as the tomboy who befriends the protagonist. Every scene she was in worked beautifully, and I loved how well she handled the awkward way that kids stumble through the early days of "romantic" emotions. Aside from that, I found My Life as a Dog decent but somewhat unremarkable. It never had me fully engaged, even if there were aspects I enjoyed.
This kind of coming-of-age drama isn't exactly something I'm fond of, and my love of dogs didn't help either. That's not to say the movie is entirely without entertainment value for me, though. Some of his time spent in the loving community with his aunt and uncle did warm my heart. Also, while I often struggle with child actors (and Anton Glanzelius was no exception,) I did find Melinda Kinnaman quite delightful as the tomboy who befriends the protagonist. Every scene she was in worked beautifully, and I loved how well she handled the awkward way that kids stumble through the early days of "romantic" emotions. Aside from that, I found My Life as a Dog decent but somewhat unremarkable. It never had me fully engaged, even if there were aspects I enjoyed.