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.

---

Plot Keywords:

dog movie | f rated | 

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

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.

---

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.

---

Soundtracks

Rhumba Club
from Life on a String (2001)
Written and performed by Laurie Anderson
Courtesy of Nonesuch Records

User Reviews

Deeply personal essay/film by Laurie Anderson

"Heart of a Dog" (2015 release; 75 min.) is a non-fiction movie by musician/performance artist Laurie Anderson. As the movie opens, we see a cartoon-animated Laurie Anderson inform us that "this is my dream body" and that in her dream she gives birth to an adult dog whom she calls Lolabelle. It's not long before Laurie starts reflecting on her dying mother, 9/11, SIDS, and a bunch of other things.

Couple of comments: Laurie Anderson, best known for her minimalist music such as "O Superman" from the early 80s, is no stranger to movie making. Here she takes two particular tough periods in her life, the decline and death of her rat terrier Lolabelle and the decline and death of her mother, to weave a collage of images and montage of sound, supplemented by Laurie's spoken words in which she explores "the connection between love and death" (Laurie's words) and everything in between. One might call it a stream of consciousness, except that Laurie is not rambling in the least. Let me tell you. it makes for one amazing movie experience. It's like being in a dream. if not a trance, where things somehow become a lot clearer. Let me also mention that I was vaguely aware of the movie, along the lines of: "that's the documentary about Laurie's dog", and I almost did not watch the movie for that reason. As it turns out, the movie devotes only about 10-15 min. to the dog, and the movie is not even a documentary. So it was a complete misconception on my part what this movie was about (and to be honest, the movie's title only reinforced that misconception). Last but not least, Laurie's husband Lou Reed (who passed away in 2013) isn't mentioned a single time, but an excellent song of his, "Turning Time Around", does play over the movie's end titles. Please note: you don't have to be a fan of Laurie Anderson to appreciate this movie (but it certainly doesn't hurt if you are).

"Heart of a Dog" showed up out of the blue and without any pre-release buzz or advertising at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati last weekend. The early evening screening when I saw it a few days ago was not attended well (three people, including myself), and I noticed that it will drop out of the theater after today. That's a shame, as this is a remarkable movie in many respects, and by all means deserves a wider audience. If you are in the mood for something very different, all the while realizing that is a deeply personal essay and film from Laurie Anderson, I encourage you to check it out, be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. "Heart of a Dog" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!