Heart of a Dog (2015 film)

Heart of a Dog

Company type	Documentary film
Industry	Film
Founded	2015 (2015)
Founder	Laurie Anderson
Products	Documentary film

Heart of a Dog is a 2015 American documentary film created by visual artist and composer Laurie Anderson.

Background

Produced for the Franco-German broadcaster Arte, Heart of a Dog delves into Anderson's recollections of her deceased piano-playing dog, Lolabelle. The documentary interweaves authentic footage with imaginative portrayals illustrating Lolabelle's journey through the bardo. It also contemplates themes surrounding mortality and existence, including Anderson’s reflections on life in New York following the September 11 attacks.

Release and reception

The documentary debuted at the Telluride Film Festival on September 4, 2015, and was an official contender at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. It opened in theaters on October 21, 2015, receiving widespread critical praise. On Rotten Tomatoes, it boasts a 96% approval rating from 83 critics, with an average rating of 8/10; reviewers highlighted its poetic and evocative style. Meanwhile, Metacritic assigned it a score of 84 based on 20 reviews. The film earned a nomination for Best Documentary at the 31st Independent Spirit Awards and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2015.

Soundtrack

Released by Nonesuch Records on October 23, 2015, the Heart of a Dog soundtrack features Laurie Anderson’s music and spoken word performances from the film. The entire score was composed and performed by Anderson herself and includes selections from her previous albums such as "Beautiful Pea Green Boat" (from 1994’s Bright Red), "Rhumba Club" (featured on 2001’s Life on a String), and pieces from Landfall (2011) created with the Kronos Quartet. The tracks "The Lake" and "Flow" originate from her 2010 release Homeland. The album concludes with "Turning Time Around," performed by her late husband Lou Reed, taken from his 2000 album Ecstasy.

Critics responded positively to the soundtrack: Mark Deming of AllMusic gave it four stars out of five, describing it as "an album only Laurie Anderson could produce," striking a balance between joy and sorrow. Andy Gill from The Independent called it "profoundly moving," noting its blend of whimsy, darkness, melancholy, humor, and insight. Robert Christgau of Vice awarded it an "A+," commending its intricate layers that reveal themselves upon repeated listening and labeling it her finest work to date. He later ranked it as the top album of 2015 in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll and placed it seventh among the best albums of the decade.

Track listing

All compositions are by Laurie Anderson, who also produced and performed them except where indicated.

External links

• [soundtrack]