Review: EO

Image courtesy of Janus Films.

One of the movies' great gifts is giving us the ability to see the world through the perspective of one who is different from oneself. Roger Ebert once called cinema "a machine that generates empathy" - and that's certainly the case with 87-year-old Jerzy Skolimowski's latest film, the Cannes favorite "EO," which chronicles some time in the life of a wandering donkey.

For those counting, this is not the first time a film has chronicled the world from perspective of an animal - in fact, it's not even the first time to see it through the eyes of a donkey, for those familiar with Robert Bresson's masterpiece "Au Hasard Balthazar." And yet, there's nothing quite like "EO" that I recall seeing.

The film has a loose narrative structure - occasionally it involves humans, some good and some bad, and occasionally it doesn't. There are some visually and sonically entrancing sequences in which incredible camerawork creates a sense of EO's surroundings - there's a particular sequence involving swooping cameras and amazing shots of woodland wildlife at night that made me think to myself, "How did they accomplish that?"

The film also draws attention to the adage - or if there isn't one, there should be - about how we treat animals is instructive at viewing how we treat one another. EO's first owners - if that's the word - are carnival workers, one an unkind man and another a very kind woman who considers EO her friend. Later, there's a truck driver who finds himself on the road with the donkey before that man comes to a shocking and unexpected end.

Later, there's a young Italian man who gets scolded by his stepmother (Isabelle Huppert, the only recognizable cast member) for being a prodigal son, and at one point there's a farmer's wife who doesn't understand why EO won't eat the carrots she attempts to feed him.

Not everyone the donkey encounters is a nice person. There's an especially horrific scene during which two warring Polish soccer clubs end a match, only to have the losing team attack the other group and, unfortunately, physically abuse EO. 

One of the most fascinating elements of the film is that although EO is the main character whom we follow and we see the world through his eyes, we never know quite why he does what he does, why he goes where he goes, or what he is thinking. The film is as much as a mystery as an anthropological study.

This is one of the year's most unique films from a filmmaker who has long been known for taking unusual routes in storytelling - check out Skolimowski's "Deep End," "The Shout" and "Moonlighting" and you'll see what I mean. "EO" is a film that's often mesmerizing, occasionally joyous, sometimes sad, and filled with stunning images. I'd highly recommend it.