With his first film in seven years, legendary director Jerzy Skolimowski (DEEP END, MOONLIGHTING) directs one of his most free and visually inventive films yet, following the travels of a nomadic gray donkey named EO. After being removed from the traveling circus, which is the only life he’s ever known, EO begins a trek across the Polish and Italian countryside, experiencing cruelty and kindness in equal measure, all the while observing the follies and triumphs of humankind. During his travels, EO is both helped and hindered by a cast of characters including a young Italian priest (Lorenzo Zurzolo), a Countess (Isabelle Huppert), and a rowdy Polish soccer team. Loosely inspired by Robert Bresson’s AU HASARD BALTHAZAR, and featuring immersive, stunning cinematography by Michal Dymek coupled with Pawel Mykietyn’s resonant score, Skolimowski’s film puts the viewer in the perspective of its four-legged protagonist. EO’s journey speaks to the world around us, an equine hero boldly pointing out societal ills, and serving as warning to the dangers of neglect and inaction — all while on a quest for freedom. Supplemental programming: AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (Jan 21 + 24).
“EO is a thrillingly imaginative piece of filmmaking: a strange, haunting epic about a donkey that couldn't feel more of our moment.” ––John Powers, NPR
“EO may be one of the greatest movies ever made about the spirit of animals, as much as we can know it.” ––Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine
“This is BALTHAZAR as EDM remix. A punkish act of both resurrection and necromancy, EO captures the very alienating and restless pace of life at this moment in time.” ––Keith Uhlich, Reverse Shot
“In Bresson’s version, it’s the humans around the donkey who are the true center of the story. Not so in EO. This is Donkeyvision, and we’re better off for it.” ––Adam Solomons, IndieWire