‘EO’ Review – One Donkey’s Journey is a Kaleidoscopic Portrait of Humanity

It’s hard to buy into a donkey as the lead of your movie. Animals aren’t usually concerned about being the main character, they’re concerned about where their next meal is coming from. However, what they lack in their ability to speak, they make up for in their ability to be. Documentaries like Gunda and Cow have given us a close look into the lives of animals largely unobstructed by artifice. The narrative of those films, or lack thereof, is crafted around the actions of the animal, not the other way around. To reverse-engineer it can risk contrived storytelling, the likes of which we see in animal-led, live-action schmaltz like Marmaduke and Charlotte’s Web.

All of this is to preface the fact that EO, one of the five nominees for Best International Feature at this year’s Academy Awards, is a singular achievement in this genre of storytelling. Long-time Polish film director Jerzy Skolimowski effortlessly places us in a single animal’s perspective to portray a sweeping portrait of nature, humanity, and the relationship between the two. The animal in question is one of this year’s many lovable donkeys, the titular Eo (portrayed by six different animals through nothing short of movie magic), whose big, black eyes are of the most expressive to grace a movie screen. In what has become the film community’s Year of the Donkey, Eo––and, by extension, EO––is its star player.

Eo begins the film as a circus donkey under the care of fellow performer Kasandra (Sandra Drzymalska). However, after being repossessed by the government over animal rights violations, the lovable mule is set on a globetrotting journey, from Polish countrysides to Italian villas. However, everything is channeled through Eo’s eyes and ears. Despite minimal dialogue, we always know exactly what he wants and how he feels thanks to isolated sound perspective and precise but formally unpredictable cinematography. For example, as Eo watches a herd of horses gallop in a pasture, you can tell that, as much as he loves Kasandra, he longs to be free to roam. These moments of development are expertly conveyed to the audience in what is a foundational lesson in the power of pure visual storytelling. 

From elegant drone shots to tilt-shift lenses to red-soaked color work, Skolimowski uses every cinematic tool at his disposal to bring what is a humble story on paper to magnificent life on screen. One particular sequence in an almost enchanted forest, shot in stark shadow as well as a brief but dynamic laser light show, is one of the most engrossing scenes of the year. We see a rich display of the animal kingdom, including a frog, a spider, and a wolf, the last of which is shot by unseen hunters (more of a laser sight show, really). The cruel reality of life as an animal is a common refrain throughout the film, as several moments both big and small highlight the second-class nature of their place in modern society. Whether it be as ill-treated slave, as glorified mascot, or as processed food, the world of EO is one of captivity and ignorance toward animals. 

However, that only makes the more tender moments stand out. Sweet Kasandra’s voice echoes throughout the film, a reminder of Eo’s once tender home. Later, when fellow wanderer Vito (Lorenzo Zurzolo) saves Eo from another potential repossession, this Brando-type speaks to him with compassion. He understands this creature unlike anybody else in the film thus far. The wide gamut of experiences makes EO its own kind of humble epic, a kaleidoscopic collage of characters and experiences that seeks to highlight the disparities in-between the spectrum. The film is aware that there is beauty in the world––some shots in the film will make your jaw drop––but also tragedy, not only in the ways we treat animals, but each other. All it took was a little donkey that could to show us that.

EO is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Janus Films.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrBeSQbdXmw]