Antoinette, a schoolteacher, is looking forward to her long planned summer holiday with her married lover Vladimir, the father of one of her pupils. When she learns that Vladimir has to cancel because his wife organized a surprise hiking vacation, Antoinette decides to follow their tracks, accompanied by a protective donkey named Patrick.
For in-depth thoughts on My Donkey, My Lover & I, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
My Donkey, My Lover & I comes to DVD with a 480p transfer that is very pleasing for the format. While we would have loved to have seen this on Blu-Ray, this DVD offers up a strong amount of detail from the locales to the clothing. The cinematography of the film leans on the brighter side with numerous moments where bright colors radiate off the screen. Skin tones appear natural, and there are some facial details present, especially in the myriad of close ups. Admittedly, compression artifacts are present, but not to the point of being overwhelming. Black levels are decent with only a minimal amount of blocking. Colors are pleasant and fairly vibrant, especially in the bright daytime scenes that serve as the primary setting for the film. This presentation is just about as good as you can ask for from DVD.
Audio Quality
The DVD comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio track in the original French which sounds fairly fetching. The film is largely dialogue driven, yet the playful music in the film gives the track some life. Dialogue is mixed well with competing sounds as it comes through crystal clear without ever being overwhelmed. The music provides a consistent mood throughout the movie that engulfs the surround speakers. Directionality is rendered precisely so that sounds originate from all the natural spots. Environmental sounds such as chatter or animal noises add a dynamic touch to the proceedings. You may not find constant activity in the track, but you get the movie exactly as it was intended within the confines of the audio format. The disc also includes optional English SDH subtitles.
Special Features
- Trailers: The minute-and-a-half trailer for My Donkey, My Lover & I is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Accepted, Ali & Ava, Hello Bookstore, and Stay Prayed Up.
Final Thoughts
My Donkey, My Lover & I is a light and charming story which does not completely reinvent the genre of self-reflection and personal growth, but it plays in those waters quite adeptly. While Laure Calamy is a very engaging screen presence, she is somewhat upstaged by the titular animal that never fails to put a smile on our face. Their interplay is a joy to watch, and the overall journey is one that we would not want to pass up. Kino Lorber and Greenwich Entertainment has released a DVD featuring a pretty great A/V presentation for the format but next to nothing in the way of special features. Recommended
My Donkey, My Lover & I will be available to purchase on DVD and Digital on October 4, 2022.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the DVD.
Disclaimer: Kino Lorber and Greenwich Entertainment have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
