"The Years of the Dog Face": The pet is dead, and the dog-like years are gone

Director: Russ Holstrom

Writers: Ras Holstrom / Radal Rongson / Blassi Branstrom / Poe Berglund

Starring: Anton Glenzelius / Thomas von Bromson / Angie Lidon / Melinda Kinnamann / Kiki Lundgren / more...

Genre: Drama / Comedy

Country/Region of Production: Sweden

Language: Swedish

Release: 1985-12-12

Runtime: 101 min

Also known as: DogFace Years / My Life as a Dog

IMDb link: tt0089606

I watched many children's films about growing up, and I was able to sort into several categories.

The first category is children in the big environment, this kind of story generally I like to belong to the category of children's films, because it is somewhat heavy, even if the film may be very funny, the image of the child is very unique, but the background of war and national disaster is somewhat sad, and I feel sad for the premature maturity of the child. The most impressive thing about this kind of film is naturally "Little Soldier Zhang Ga".

The second is the United States, like "Little Devil Is Home" and the like, using children's thinking to navigate the adult world, objectively very funny and funny, subjectively reflecting the absurdity of the adult world, this should indeed be a children's film, but somewhat farcical feeling, I also watch a process.

The third is the childhood memories of some directors, as if it were an essay, seeing the world of adults through the eyes of children, and in the process, children become adults, of course, this process of change is somewhat bitter, and "The Years of Dogface" belongs to this type.

The fourth kind of children's film is more maverick, which swept the entire world film industry three or five years ago, that is, the Iranian children's film led by Abbas. This kind of film is a bit too realistic, a child often has to solve some real problems, in fact, think about it and age is not, but because the details are extremely real, when the child's approach is fully expressed. For example, "Little Shoes" and so on.

Going back to "The Years of the Dog's Face", someone translated the title as "Dog-like Years". Obviously, this is a dog-related story.

There are two dogs in the film, one is Laika, who was sent to space and starved to death. Ingmar believes that dogs have been sent into space without their consent and have not yet been given enough dog food, simply for the sake of human progress. This practice is extremely absurd.

Unfortunately, Ingmar's fate was exactly like that, but he didn't realize it at first.

My mother was sick, and my father was picking bananas at the equator (the director's beak was very intimidating). But as an ignorant child, he made it impossible for his mother to recuperate, and there was no way but to send him elsewhere.

This is obviously compulsive, especially when he is sent away, he loses his mother's love, so the scene of mother's love on the beach becomes his eternal memory.

The second dog in the film is Ingmar's Sika. When her mother was seriously ill, Ingmar and Sika worked together to kill their mother, which of course was a bit cruel to say, but in fact could be explained by ignorance. But the inseparable Sika is clearly the embodiment of Ingmar until he arrives in a new town.

The town is an adult world, and Ingmar's life has changed ever since.

For a child, the process of growing up needs two catalysts, one is the explanation of love, and the other is about sexual enlightenment.

In this fairytale town, Ingmar's deepest contact is of course sexual enlightenment. Imaginary patients lying on the hospital bed looking at the woman's underwear, the process of the woman with the most beautiful breasts in the town as a model, and the girl player whose gender is temporarily misplaced.

Speaking of the girl, the film is largely about the hazy feelings between her and Ingmar, but in my opinion, she is more like a yardstick, watching her development and growth, Ingmar will realize that she is also growing. As for sexual enlightenment, that model was enough.

Regarding love, Ingmar did not directly understand it in this small town.

Although everyone in the town seems to live in a fairy tale, the uncle is a crappy goalkeeper, but he is the maker of the summer house, and the strange old man who tricks the spaceship, the sick old man who listens to advertisements for women's underwear, and the crazy old man who repairs the house all day. Everybody is simple, everybody's kind, but all of these people can't give Ingmar love.

Although Ingmar lives in this fairytale world, although he is very happy, but all this is short-lived, he still has to find his love.

Mother, once again, was back in Ingmar's sight.

But the mother's love still only remains in Ingmar's memory, because the mother can no longer give him the mother's love, even the small town experiences he is very excited about, the mother does not want to listen.

Reality broke through the fairy tale at once.

The death of his mother was not cruel, but the reality was so difficult for Ingmar to accept it, although he knew it was a fact.

It wasn't just the death of the mother, something about reality followed.

Back in town, the sick old man died, and the old lady chose a new house.

In particular, the uncle asked Ingmar to live with the old lady. Love, in this instant, was completely lost, but fortunately, the old lady's wise exhortation temporarily calmed Ingmar's mood.

But growing up is not only about love, but also about sexual enlightenment. Ingmar's ruler as a girl is first aware of sex, so, in contact with Ingmar, sex is further exaggerated.

But Ingmar's awareness of sex is only in curiosity, this step seems to be somewhat sudden, and the tension may be shy and overwhelmed by Ingmar.

At this time, the maiden cruelly tells Ingmar that Sika is dead.

The summer cottage was originally intended as a kennel, but it became a place for Ingmar to say goodbye to her childhood.

Laika is dead, Sika is dead, Ingmar's childhood is dead, and it's a sad ending. But it was also at this moment that Ingmar completed his nirvana in the kennel. He thought of his mother.

This is no longer maternal love, but love for motherhood. As children, people who enjoy maternal love, but grow up will show love for their mother. For the first time, Ingmar blamed herself.

The world is not as cold as it seems, and even a mad old man can come out of the cold water and sit in front of the fiery boiler of the glass factory.

The strange old man's space shuttle started again, the girl took off her men's clothes, and this time the failure was no longer in the attic in the air, but fell into the muddy mud pit, but the growth had arrived, which was beyond doubt.

Ingmar's sexual initiators did not become famous for their statues of artists.

Everything returned to its original calm, everything seemed so natural and still in harmony.

It's just that when Ingmar hugs the girl, we know that the dog-like years are gone!