Mitt liv som hund (My Life As A Dog)(Lasse Hallström,1985)

This is a films about the need for nurturing and comfort in our lives. It is a film which revolves around the life of a boy; but the focus comes back to the women in his lives. The common symbol that ties all women together is breasts. Breasts represent womanhood with the young tom girl; sexuality with the woman at the glass blowing plant; nurture with the mom; comfort from the aunt and the old woman. The boys mother hides her breasts under layers of clothing and blankets as she gets sicker and removes herself more and more from her boys’ lives and thus no longer offering food (the boys in fact prepare her meals); companionship (she only reads to herself); comfort (she cannot take the time to listen without going into a coughing fit). Breasts come up in odd places: a milk pitcher made at the plant has two breasts on it; a local artists fashions a sculpture that is supposed to represent motherhood but is ultimately banned from the town square because it shows the woman’s…breasts; the old man is titillated (no pun intended) when the boy reads ads for brassieres from a department store catalog. The other symbol that is subtler in this film is that of the dog. The boy is actually forced to part with his dog when he goes to live with his uncle and aunt. He then takes on some qualities of the dog he has lost: loyalty, love, companionship. There are two realms in the movie. The realm of “death” represented by the dying mother; the social workers; the older brother with his toy gun; the boy’s girlfriend who seeks connection in all the wrong ways. This realm represents a dysfunctional approach to living. It is a realm where dogs offer comfort – not breasts. The other realm is that of “life” in the village with the uncle and aunt where work stops in the town to watch a man ride a unicycle on a tight rope; it’s a realm where people get caught up in soccer games and where imaginations of children and adults are allowed to soar. It is also a land of breasts – but no dogs.