My Life as a Dog

Sweden, 1958. Ingemar, whose mother is terminally ill, is sent to relatives in the countryside. He is separated from his dog Sickan too. To bear what is happening he keeps reminding himself of people who have it worse, returning most often to Laika, the dog sent into space and never brought back. Lasse Hallström directed, from Reidar Jönsson's semi-autobiographical novel. It is set in Småland across 1958 and 1959. It became an unexpected success outside Sweden. Despite being a subtitled foreign-language film it took 8.3 million dollars in North America. It was nominated for Oscars in Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay and won the 1988 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, along with two Guldbagge Awards, Sweden's highest. Every Rotten Tomatoes review is positive. Its admirers include some odd names: Robert Duvall called it his favourite film of all time, and Kurt Vonnegut put it on a list with Casablanca. It launched Hallström's Hollywood career. Who it is for: viewers who like childhood stories and films that balance hardship with humour. Who it is not for: anyone opening it expecting a children's film. At the centre are a mother's death and a boy being given away.