“Hello, little bonehead. I’ll love you forever.” So begins Heart of a Dog, creative pioneer Laurie Anderson’s wry, wondrous and unforgettable cinematic journey through love, death, and language.

Centering on Anderson’s beloved rat terrier Lolabelle, who died in 2011, Heart of a Dog is a personal essay that weaves together childhood memories, video diaries, philosophical musings on data collection, surveillance culture, and the Buddhist conception of the afterlife, and heartfelt tributes to the artists, writers, musicians, and thinkers who inspire her.

Fusing her own witty, inquisitive narration with original violin compositions, hand-drawn animation, 8mm home movies, and artwork culled from exhibitions past and present, Anderson creates a hypnotic, collage-like visual language out of the raw materials of her life and art, examining how stories are constructed and told — and how we use them to make sense of our lives.

 Listen to Laurie Anderson’s JBFC Q&A for Heart of a Dog on our blog!