Heart of a Dog (2015)

Multimedia artist Laurie Anderson reflects on her relationship with her beloved terrier Lolabelle.

Director:

Laurie Anderson

Writer:

Laurie Anderson

Stars:

Laurie Anderson, Archie, Jason Berg

4 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Laurie Anderson	...	Herself - Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Archie	...	Rat Terrier
Jason Berg	...	Veterinarian
Heung-Heung Chin	...	Dog Walker
Bob Currie	...	Doctor
Paul Davidson	...	Farmer
Dustin Guy Defa	...	Gordon Matta-Clark (as Dustin Defa)
Etta	...	Poodle
Evelyn Fleder	...	Grandmother
Willy Friedman	...	Man Hit By Duck
Gatto	...	Rat Terrier
Sasha Grossman	...	Nurse
Kurt Gutenbrunner	...	Chef
Charlie Hafitz	...	Patient on Gurney
Lucy Hafitz	...	Girl in Pool

Storyline

Multimedia artist Laurie Anderson reflects on her relationship with her beloved terrier Lolabelle.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | collage | love | death of dog | sorrow | 

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Taglines:

What do you see when you close your eyes?

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Corazón de perro

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,893, 23 October 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$418,571, 27 March 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal Street Communications, Arte France, La Lucarne

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Short-listed for 'Best Documentary' (last 15 films) at the 88th Academy Awards 2016.

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Quotes

[from trailer]
Herself, narrator: I wanna tell you a story about a story, and it's about the time I discovered that most adults have no idea what they're talking about.

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Soundtracks

The Lake
and "Flow" from Homeland (2010)
Written and performed by Laurie Anderson
Courtesy of Nonesuch Records

User Reviews

lots of heart, not that much dog

I had to watch this a few times to get everything I could out of it. I will tell you if you are expecting some kind of tribute to Ms. Anderson's dog in the vein of "Marley and Me", then you are going to be very disappointed. Instead Ms. Anderson weaves in stories about her dog, her Buddhist beliefs, her past back to her childhood, and the growth of the surveillance state into one very interesting piece. At the point where her dog, rat terrier Lolabelle, dies, the dog exits the narrative.

The opening pretty much gives you an idea of how avant-garde things are going to get, because it is about a dream she has where she has her dog sewn into her stomach by surgeons so that she can give birth to her. There are fun things that anybody could enjoy such as dogs wearing sandals - apparently this is a "thing" in Asia, and how Lolabelle went blind in her old age, and afterwards Ms. Anderson put some keyboards on the floor so the dog could "learn to play". The terrier actually got pretty good at "playing". Lolabelle actually did charity performances and even a Christmas album! I guess the one thing I really noticed is how Ms. Anderson is so unquestioning of her Buddhist beliefs and teachers. Case in point -when her dog got to the end of life and was in pain, the vets were recommending euthanasia. Ms. Anderson consults a Buddhist teacher who said that death is a process and you have no right to interfere with that process with either humans or animals. So unquestioning of that unconventional path, she took Lolabelle home from the vets - I'm hoping with tranquilizers and pain killers for her - and let her die on the living room floor in her regular dog bed.

Is this just a "thing" Americans have? (I'm American by the way) Whatever spiritual advice they are given by their chosen religion they follow it, regardless of common sense or compassion? I guess the fact that the piece raised questions with me is a good thing. I will say the visuals are very well done and Ms. Anderson has a calm and soothing voice. Not for everybody, but I would give it a chance. In fact, you'll probably have to give it several chances to get it.