My Life as a Dog (1985) review

Inspired by Truffaut's The 400 Blows, but missing the brutal truth and reality of that film: this one's more of a lighthearted simulation of that picture, trying to delve into serious topics like death and sex, yet remaining preoccupied with the eccentricity of its cast members (the man on the roof, the boy who barks, the artist). I suppose Hallström expects the viewer to connect the various individuals and side notes and view their collective effect as a portrait of a town and a boy's process of developing, but the central character doesn't change significantly, and the 'poetic' moments (a homemade 'spaceship' strung up to a barn) feel desperate.