12 Point Film Review: My Life as a Dog

The subject of this film centers on a young boy who is sent away from his sick mother to live in a new environment and how he interacts with those around him. The genre of this film is a strange but successful mixture of comedy and drama. The child, named Ingemar, has a habit of finding himself in trouble when living with his mother, brother, and dog, Sickan. After his mom is diagnosed with tuberculosis, he gets sent to live with his aunt and uncle in a village with lots of new characters for Ingemar to meet in order to let his mom rest. Throughout it all, we slowly see Ingemar lose his mother and dog, the two greatest loves of his life. The movie focuses on how he deals with his hardships and how he is able to overcome them. It is an empathetic and inspiring story for viewers.

The theme of this story is how to deal with one's own problems. In the movie, Ingemar constantly compares his life with other tragic incidents which makes his life seem less tragic. However, by the end of the movie we see Ingemar finally break down at what he takes as his mother's rejection of him and the death of his dog. As time progresses he adapts and even seems to like his new life in the village and is able to move on. The actors and actresses in this movie do a wonderful job. They all naturally portray the simple lives of the characters and really give a realistic feel to the film. The main character is especially adorable and grabbed my sympathy from the start.

The dialogue in the film is very simple. There are no long, complicated monologues or explanations, just interactions between characters. It fits very well into the story and seems realistic, although I do not have much knowledge of old Swedish village. However, I assume that it was fit for the environment and time period. The settings are also very realistic. The houses, roads, and stores are all very simple. Even the glass-making warehouse seems to fit right into the village. Some aspects of the settings that could've been used for character development are his playhouse and the make-believe space ship. The playhouse is finished by the end of the movie and the spaceship is finally successful s well at the end, which signifies Ingemar's new life at the village.

During the scene where Ingemar breaks down, there is very dim lighting which helps sets the tone. During the memories of Ingemar’s mother, there is always bright lighting which depicts happier times in his life. There is also dim lighting in Ingemar’s house as well as the temporary house that he stayed in before returning to the village.

There is an efficient use of sound and music in the movie. Sound effects are used subtly so that they are barely noticed by the viewer but help to enhance the events of the scene. I really enjoyed the music of the movie, especially the piano theme that kept resurfacing throughout the movie. Music in a movie is successful when you do not even notice it until you hear it separately, and that was the case in this film.

Cinematography is conventional in this film. There are a variety of shots however, but more far-away shots than close-ups. Thirds composition is also used many times during the movie. The simple cinematography helps to capture the charm of the village and gives a peaceful feeling. There are little special effects in this movie, due to a lack of need for them. Editing for the film is also simple, with little special effects or transitions in between. It is slow and calm, giving the film a smooth pace. Although the scene with Ingemar trying to sneak a peak at the lady posing for the sculpture was marked by a faster pace in order to build suspense and excitement as he fell through the glass. The boxing matches between the children also had faster edits.

Overall, the director did a good job of blending all the aspects together into a simple, moving film. Although, the director seems to focus more on dialogue and the movements of the actors/actresses, which appropriate for the movie’s simple plot and focus on emotions. The film reached its goal of being a tragic/comic story.