If you loved Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, then EO might be your type of movie. Those two names sound kinda similar, right? But this isn’t what I am talking about as far as the new Polish film is concerned, because it deserves to be watched anyway. Even a cameo appearance of a French cinematic icon in act three – no spoilers here. And that’s why this bold attempt is worth your while; it will blow you away with its perfectness and make you ask yourself “how on earth did they do that?” again and again.
The world seems peculiar enough when looked at through an animal’s eyes. A grey donkey with melancholic eyes called EO goes through life meeting good and bad people during the movie’s fast 88-minute run time. He gets thrilled and hurt while he experiences how his luck turns to worse and his hopelessness gives way to unexpected happiness. He never loses his innocence for even a second though. Now let me tell our readers my view on this very impressive drama.
EO, a donkey who has been taken out from circus which was his only home, embarks on a journey across Poland and Italy where he faces cruelty as well as kindness towards humanity foolishnesses and achievements. During the trip EO comes across various personalities including an Italian young priest (Lorenzo Zurzolo), Countess (guess who plays her) or rowdy Polish football team – all that was created by writers based on some ideas from Robert Bresson’s Au hazard Balthazar but filmed in an interesting way by Michal Dymek using sharp cameras suggesting everything seen by four-legged hero sometimes literally such shocking POVs . It will be nice if you see it in cinema halls.
A word about the director now: Jerzy Skolimowski has over twenty films to his credit including The Departure (winner of Berlin Golden Bear) and The Shout (Cannes Grand Prix). He is also a Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement honoree at Venice Film Festival. He has even written screenplays for Knife in the Water and The Palace with Rosemary’s Baby director Roman Polanski.
So how on earth did Skolimowski achieve those long, graceful shots of EO moving exactly where he should be? “There were several donkeys at the filming stage, though,” Ewa Piaskowska explained to Screen Daily. “We used Marietta, Taco, Holla, Hettore, Rocco and Maya. All were docile and considerate. And persistent when they needed to be. By the way, quite many members of our Polish crew stopped eating meat during the shooting.”
But from the instant we see EO’s character falling into safe hands to the multiple scenes where he finds himself trapped in dangerous situations filled with anxiety, his gracefulness as an animal leaving us spellbound by his thinking eyes which are so expressive that they can communicate thoughts and feelings of his own kind. You will be shocked by this character’s unbelievable journey throughout contemporary Europe.
Ten minutes into EO, I realized my mistake of assuming that it was a documentary about animals. In reality, EO is a dramatic film which does the same job as a powerful documentary would do just as well or better. This movie will attract fans of such blockbusters as Life of Pi or Ice Age and many other cinema lovers too. These days there are hardly any animal films that pack an emotional punch without being cheesy; but EO comes to revive this subgenre with a bang! It has really made me want to find other movies like it about animals in general.
I think people are mistaken when they say that EO may not appeal to every viewer because of its long silent scenes. No dialogue? Not true at all! For example, recall the moment when the young priest meets the countess; their interaction is so significant for this movie’s plot line. And what about the bar scene? Here humans behave like “animals,” quarrelling and fighting among themselves, while EO stands alone beside them proud and trying his best not to get involved in madness. In my opinion, everyone can find something interesting in “EO”.
“Popular perception will tell you that donkeys are stupid and stubborn – I beg to differ. They can be very stubborn yes; but stupid? No way. Actually I have dealt with them and they’re animals that show tremendous intelligence,” Skolimowski recently said in an interview with Variety magazine. “This whole movie aims at changing how people view animals by making them see animals as beings similar to human beings who experience emotions as us humans do and unlike objects we should treat with feelings.Such living things call for care and attention, sense of security and love.”
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