Telluride Review: Laurie Anderson's 'Heart Of A Dog'

Who does a story belong to? What is the value of a story with only one character? What happens to our love when a loved one dies? These are the central questions fueling the dream-like meditation (or “essay poem”) in film form, “Heart Of A Dog.” Written, directed, and narrated by Laurie Anderson, “Heart Of A Dog” is at turns a haunting, hilarious, muddled, disparate, and deeply emotional film about a woman, her dog, their bond, and the deaths that continue that haunt her.

At its core “Heart Of A Dog” is an ode to Lolabelle, the late rat terrier and “spiritual twin” to Anderson. And Lolabelle carries the film in memorable fashion. She is an adorable piano-playing, bird-chasing, sculpture-making ball of love, eager to please and always looking for a chance to have fun — the type of dog the moniker “man’s best friend” was created for. Lolabelle comes to life as affectionate and bouncy on film, but she becomes a character in her own right in Anderson’s expressive paintings and...