EO is somehow not the first nor the second film of the last few years that attempts to put the (likely human) viewer inside the mind of a farm animal, but it’s certainly the weirdest. In 2020, there was Gunda, executively produced by Joaquin Phoenix, a black and white, wordless documentary shot entirely through the perspectives of a pig, a cow and a one-legged chicken. Andrea Arnold’s Cow (2021) is a similarly experimental documentary that gives an intimate look into the daily life of its titular ruminant.
A contemporary take on Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar, Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s film is not a documentary. Rather it’s a fable, the tale of a wandering innocent thrown from place to place, always adjacent to but never directly involved in the foibles of his human counterparts. This hapless wanderer’s name is EO, and he happens to be a donkey.
Skolimowski opens the film on a circus performance, captured in disorienting strobe light as EO is repeatedly led in circles by Kasandra (Sandra Drzymalska), his owner. Later, the young woman sneaks into EO’s stable and commiserates with him, leaning her head against his and gently whispering her gratitude. It’s clear she cares for the creature, but this solace is short-lived. The next day, local officials show up at the circus and take away the animals, accusing the performers of exploitation. Thus begins EO’s journey, as he is led from place to place, person to person, all in the hopes of one day reuniting with the woman who loves him.
Captured in 4:3 aspect ratio, the film is a purposefully discomfiting and claustrophobic viewing experience. By nature of being a donkey, EO’s perspective on the events surrounding him are largely those of a complete innocent, and he is mostly devoid of the agency you’d expect from a typical protagonist. For some shots, cinematographer Michal Dymek applies a Vaseline-type substance on the lens, literally bringing us into the donkey’s visual perspective. Like Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar, Skolimowski is using EO’s journey as a way to explore human nature. The way that each character interacts with the animal says a lot about who they are as people, and about humanity in general.
But what makes the film particularly odd are the situations EO finds himself involved in. There’s the soccer game he unintentionally helps throw, leading to a difficult-to-watch beating from a gang of violent football hooligans, or a nighttime trip with a laidback truck driver that takes a shockingly dark turn. The film even features an inexplicably brief cameo from French actress Isabelle Huppert, playing a rich woman who may or may not have a quasi-incestuous relationship with her wayward son. What any of this has to do with the film’s basic thesis is beyond comprehension, but it certainly provides the story with an unpredictable texture.
But amongst these bizarre detours, there are also moments of true beauty. A gorgeous shot sees EO staring out the window of a trailer at a group of wild horses galloping across a field. The music swells, allowing us to see and empathize with EO’s desire to be free like his equine brethren. There’s also a hauntingly beautiful sequence in which he wanders through the forest at night, encountering all manner of nocturnal forest creatures. The woods appear mystical and wild, not unlike those of a fairy tale. And yet, perhaps this is how animals that are not human see the world, as an unpredictable landscape in which every creature must fend for themselves.
Apart from its commentary on human nature, EO’s insight into the animal perspective also allows for an understanding of the daily experience many livestock animals face in our current industrialized world. Like Cow or Gunda, it gives viewers a deeper sympathy for what it’s like to spend your entire life fenced in and led around by others. There’s a blunt cruelty to the way animals are treated throughout, which makes the moments where they’re briefly free and allowed to wander that much more liberating.
In her 2011 book, Donkey, Professor Jill Bough argues that in Western literature, donkeys have often been used symbolically in a negative way, impacting our attitude towards seeing them as anything more than allegorical representations of human nature. Donkeys were domesticated over 10,000 years ago and have since been seen as little more than work animals. As far back as the Ancient Greeks, they are given poor treatment in folktales, and generally seen as lowly beyond their basic agricultural functions. Donkey’s unextraordinary status makes them a perfect stand-in for the everyman, and a unique creature for exploration of their interior lives.
EO ends with a title card stating that the film was made out of a “love and care” for animals who cannot speak for themselves. It mostly succeeds, albeit it an odd way. As an environmental statement, it’s hardly breaking any new ground, but provides a creative and unusually absorbing simulation of the non-human experience. As an arthouse film, which is where I suspect the majority of Skolimowski’s intentions lie, it’s also similarly effective. While not the most enjoyable watch, it provides a valuable outlet to see the world from a perspective truly other than our own, which is something that will always have value even if the destinations aren’t pleasant.
Photo courtesy of Janus Films
The post EO appeared first on Spectrum Culture.