EO – Film Review

The world is a mysterious place when seen through the eyes of an animal. EO, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, meets good and bad people on his life’s path, experiences joy and pain, endures the wheel of fortune randomly turn his luck into disaster and his despair into unexpected bliss. But not even for a moment does he lose his innocence.

Jerzy Skolimowski‘s film EO, which on paper seems like the silliest thing in the world, has an unmistakable air of sorrow and fear throughout. In its most basic form, the film is really just about a donkey who travels the globe, but when you actually sit down to watch it, you’ll realize that it’s much more than that.

Well, it is the movie’s basic plot, but there are so many unforgettable events that occur during this donkey’s voyage that it would be a grave error to dismiss it as an odd, avant-garde film. Is it creative? Yes. Is this movie going to appeal to all audiences? No. The pace of this one is so calm and steady that I could even imagine some ardent animal lovers not truly enjoying it.

But I for one enjoyed getting to travel with EO around the globe. From the moment he was born in a Polish circus until the end of his journey through various locations, such as a foreboding forest, we follow him from his early days. It’s unlike any other drama road movie I’ve ever seen.

The fact that they actually had to use six distinct live donkeys to portray EO—Ettore, Hola, Marietta, Mela, Rocco, and Tako—means that this movie must have been a tremendous challenge to produce. Six donkeys looking good for a camera is undoubtedly difficult work, but the crew managed to pull it off and make it appear like a piece of cake. Obviously, they had to have someone on board who was very skilled with animals.

You’ll be taken on a dreamlike journey through the silly and the profound by this movie, and you’ll undoubtedly feel like you’ve witnessed a startlingly original cinematic experience that we simply don’t get to see anymore. Given how daring and distinctive EO is, it’s actually a little surprising that it even exists.

Because it contains so many elements of First Cow and Old Joy throughout, I’m surprised Kelly Reichardt didn’t direct this. EO will surely be enjoyable for you if you enjoy Reichardt’s filmography. As I miss this type of cinema, I for one sincerely hope that more movies like this will be produced in the future.

Jerzy Skolimowski’s road drama EO, which follows the life of a donkey born in a Polish circus, is incredibly entertaining, melancholy, and bizarre.