“EO,” April 1, 2024 (2022), DVD. Nominated for Best International Film at the Oscars, director Jerzy Skolimowski’s tale of EO the donkey’s journey across modern Europe, from Poland to Italy, shows us human kindness and cruelty in his experiences. It is very much from the donkey’s point of view (there were actually six donkeys used), but it is an unblinking look at the people he encounters, good and bad.
It’s beautifully shot, with wonderful and often mysterious camera work. EO’s experiences are not ours, they are a donkey’s in human society. We do not and, of course, cannot experience his thought, we do see his actions, when he feels loved and when he does not. We see his relationship with a young, adoring woman in a circus; we see the horrifying brutality of many other situations.
As Skloimowski notes in an attached interview, he often finds it easier to relate with animals than with people.
Featuring a wonderful bit of work from the ever amazing Isabel Huppert.