EO (2022)

"Eo" is a donkey. Rescued from an harsh life in a circus by legislation from the Polish government, this film follows it's adventures as it is relocated to an equestrian centre - where it is lonely and causes a little bit of havoc; then a donkey sanctuary from which it escapes after a brief visit from former circus friend "Cassandra" (Sandra Drzymalska), before several other curious escapades befall it on travels that seem to encompass the length and breadth of the country. Told from the perspective of the donkey (though not through it's eyes) we see all that it might see - and humanity, warts and all, doesn't tend to come off so well! We see kindness and sympathy, but also brutality and thuggishness, too, and at times this is a frank and graphically horrible film to watch without squirming. Director Jerzy Skolimowski lets us see just how varied (and frequently ghastly) human behaviour can be, but he doesn't make judgements - he uses "Eo" as a benign - sympathy inducing - carrier of his message and allows the audience to draw their own conclusions. I did struggle with the end, and at times the narrative continuity stretched the imagination a little (especially with the wolves and towards the ending) but this is still a quirkily engaging and thought-provoking story not just about an animal - and of how human beings treat them in general - but one of how human beings treat their own species too. Beware the flickering lighting is probably not for those sensitive to such things, and I found it heavily over-scored at times, but I did appreciate it and would recommend it if you've a spare ninety minutes to take a different view on life!