EO

The film tells a story of the world, which is shown through the eyes of a donkey. It is worth admitting that the film is very strong and affecting. Although, there is almost no talking in the film, but everything is still clear. The whole mood is created by visual effects, sound effects and, of course, donkey emotions.

In this film, the most important thing is the donkey and his experiences, emotions like sadness and fear. In fact, the strength of this film is the emotional background, which does not require any dialogues or monologues, and is focused on the world of the animal and the world around.

Unfortunately, after watching the movie, you get the feeling that in reality, sometimes a person can act like an animal and not have any humanity in him, and the animal has not done anything bad to this world, but it is treated cruelly. The film is very impactful and stays in the mind for a very long time.

The circus was your home but now it's closing, new outcomes are ahead, life's recomposing, a journey has begun, there'll be sorrow and some fun, lots of being led around and often roaming. You'll take the opportunities, that you're presented (you don't have a choice), and quite often you will feel, like you're resented, poorly treated by humans, but not always, some are friends, though they'll always seem to be, distressed, tormented.

The life of a donkey, the people it encounters, for good or bad, and the array of farms, fields, pens, containers, sanctuaries and otherwise that are used to restrict it, often quite unsuccessfully, as it's pushed from pillar to post - just as most animals are on their journey to the abattoir or slaughterhouse, does it remind you of anyone you know?

IO stayed with me for days. This film is experienced and digested in the flesh. There are not many words in it so it is impossible to distance yourself from it by intellectualizing it. The places where animals live; the situations that happen to them - nothing we didn't know about - but shown from a different perspective - perspective of a donkey, a creature that is dependent on humans: it's owners (caretakers?) and the laws regarding animals.

I was touched and moved by something I had hitherto passed by indifferently: the fate of animals that are not given names. This film was difficult for me and appealed to me at the same time.

And last but not least I'm always very happy to see Isabelle Huppert on the screen.

EO is a thrillingly surreal odyssey that shows the best and worst of mankind in unpredictable fashion whilst always emphasising the beauty of nature. There's so many genuine moments of warmth which only make the darker moments all the more devastating. It's such a unique experience.

The several Donkeys that play EO give a phenomenal performance. The amount of emotion in their eyes is unrivalled and the cries of anguish are equally powerful. EO is supported by some great performances from Sandra Dryzmalska, Isabelle Hupert and Lorenzo Zurzolo in particular.

Jerzy Skolimowski crafts a real technical marvel. Along with Michal Dymek's varied cinematography it swaps between some top tier drone shots, a gorgeous use of colour (especially red) and plenty of Donkey's-eye view shots. Pawel Mykietyn's score adds further beauty to the gorgeous imagery.

This nominee for Best International Film Oscar is a look at how humanity treats animals by using the perspective of the animal. In this case, Eo is both a work and a star donkey of a bankrupt touring circus that gets shut down. His true love is his co-star in his part of the show, Kassandra. When the authorities shut down the financially-strained circus, he is part of the confiscation, causing him to be torn away from Kassandra, upsetting him greatly. He escapes to go on a trek to find her. The movie focuses on him and his travails. I thought the perspective was refreshing, but it comes with a caveat that one experiences as the film progresses. I could not help getting caught up in the emotionalism that this displayed. I saw this a week ago and can not get it out of my head.