Heart of a Dog

From walks through Manhattan to reflections on memory, grief and love, this documentary from artist Laurie Anderson is inspired by life with her dog Lolabelle.

Living with a dog grounds you, through the daily routines of feeding, walking and pooping, but it also nudges open a door to the more abstract experiences of care, loyalty and, eventually, loss.

In this spellbinding essay film, which shifts effortlessly between the prosaic and the profound, Laurie Anderson’s fresh and poignant observations of life with her rat-terrier Lolabelle gradually lead us to long-buried childhood memories, which take on new meaning in the wake of her mother’s death. Along the way Anderson contemplates how her relationship with the sky changed following the 9/11 attacks in New York, Buddhist beliefs about the transition from life to death and the question of whether or not one should encourage a dog to play the piano.

Anderson’s trademark voiceover, at once warm, quizzical and precise, is beautifully integrated with footage that includes animation, home video and super 8 film, underscored by oceanic drifts of electronic music.

– Fiona Trigg, Senior Curator