Heart of a Dog

Musician and multimedia artist Laurie Anderson writes and directs this unconventional rumination on her relationship with her late dog, a terrier named Lolabelle, that also features quotes from the Tibetan Book of the Dead and commentary on the modern surveillance state. Narrated by Anderson in her distinctively poetic manner with a playful wit (and set to a soundtrack composed by Anderson), Heart of a Dog is a free-form, first-person meditation that is part experimental, part avant-garde, and part stream-of-consciousness, with animated sequences created by Anderson. The film keeps circling back to Lolabelle, from home movie footage of the dog plucking piano keys or playing in the park to shots of the world as seen from a dog's POV. While the themes of death, loss, and sadness constantly hover (Anderson discusses her mother's death, and—although never directly addressed—the loss of her partner Lou Reed also haunts the film), it is not mournful so much as a celebration of life and experience. This is Anderson's first feature since her 1986 concert movie Home of the Brave and it is as creative and unconventional as anything she has made in any medium. Although this will likely confound viewers expecting something more conventional, it will be appreciated by fans of Anderson and aficionados of avant-garde, experimental, and expressionist filmmaking. An ALA-VRT Notable Video selection, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)