USA – 2015 – 75 MIN
A FILM BY LAURIE ANDERSON

"Hello, little bonehead. I'll love you forever." So begins HEART OF A DOG, creative pioneer Laurie Anderson's wry, wondrous and unforgettable cinematic journey through love, death and language.

Centering on Anderson's beloved rat terrier Lolabelle, who died in 2011, HEART OF A DOG is a personal essay that weaves together childhood memories, video diaries, philosophical musings on data collection, surveillance culture and the Buddhist conception of the afterlife, and heartfelt tributes to the artists, writers, musicians and thinkers who inspire her.

Fusing her own witty, inquisitive narration with original violin compositions, hand-drawn animation, 8mm home movies and artwork culled from exhibitions past and present, Anderson creates a hypnotic, collage-like visual language out of the raw materials of her life and art, examining how stories are constructed and told — and how we use them to make sense of our lives.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

LAURIE ANDERSON is one of America’s most renowned — and daring — creative pioneers. She is best known for her multimedia presentations and innovative use of technology. As writer, director, visual artist and vocalist she has created groundbreaking works that span the worlds of art, theater and experimental music.

Her recording career, launched by “O Superman” in 1981, includes the soundtrack to her feature film HOME OF THE BRAVE and “Life on a String” (2001). Anderson's live shows range from simple spoken word to elaborate multi-media stage performances such as “Songs and Stories for Moby Dick” (1999). Anderson has published seven books and her visual work has been presented in major museums around the world.

In 2002, Anderson was appointed the first artist-in-residence of NASA which culminated in her 2004 touring solo performance “The End of the Moon.” Recent projects include a series of audio- visual installations and a high-definition film, “Hidden Inside Mountains,” created for World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. In 2007 she received the prestigious Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize for her outstanding contribution to the arts. In 2008 she completed a two-year worldwide tour of her performance piece, “Homeland,” which was released as an album on Nonesuch Records in June 2010. Anderson’s solo performance “Delusion” debuted at the Vancouver Cultural Olympiad in February 2010. In October 2010 a retrospective of her visual and installation work opened in Sao Paulo, Brazil and later traveled to Rio de Janiero. In 2011 her exhibition of new visual work titled “Forty-Nine Days In the Bardo” opened in Philadelphia, and “Boat,” her first exhibition of paintings, premiered at the Vito Schnabel Gallery in New York. She has recently completed a three-year fellowship at both EMPAC, the multi media center at RPI in Troy, NY, and PAC at UCLA. Anderson lives in New York City.

 

 

"It’s a thinker’s film that draws on Anderson’s many skills as an artist, musician, animator and narrator as it ostensibly explores her attachment to her deceased dog, Lolabelle but goes far beyond. It’s dreamlike and deliberately abstruse, rather like visual poetry that requires viewers to reflect upon and draw their own interpretations. It’s a fascinating exercise."
- Toronto Star

NNNN "it’s odd, atonal and mordantly funny, finding strange humour in the juxtaposition of ostensibly serious things."
- NOW Magazine

Laurie Anderson's tail of love lost - Interview
- NOW Magazine

"The music interrupts, comments on, bumps up against and fuses with the narration; it’s an essential component of this fanciful, uplifting film."
- The Whole Note

"Visually rich film is a meditative memoir by multi-talented artist Laurie Anderson, dedicated to the spirit of her late husband, musician Lou Reed" - Video Review
- CBC

"only the hardest heart will leave the theatre unmoved."
- Globe and Mail

"Heart of a Dog is my choice for best documentary of the year. It’s a must see—but you have to be prepared to think as well as feel throughout the film"
- Classical FM

"this woman can do whatever she puts her mind to."
- Cinefilles

"A ticket to this film will give you much to chew on, and not just if you’re a dog."
- National Post

Video Interview - "Laurie Anderson on grief, the mind and her new film Heart of a Dog"
- CBC, The Exhibitionists