Poland’s submission to the Oscars in Best International Feature category.
EO isn’t the type of film one would expect from an 84-year-old director—even a director of Jerzy Skolimowski’s distinction and pedigree. Jettisoning anything that may be regarded as conventional cinematic technique, Skolimowski harnesses the vast and varied capabilities of digital filmmaking to construct an inventive, offbeat odyssey across modern Europe, as seen through the impressionable eyes of a donkey, the eponymous EO. Riffing on Robert Bresson’s classic film, Au hasard Balthazar, about a saintly ass, Skolimowski emphasizes the gentle gaze and enduring innocence of his four-legged lead in contrast to the depraved, complicated lives of the people EO meets along the way. In an entrancing blend of art and heart, this jury prize winner at the 2022 Cannes International Film Festival is an avant-garde film for the animal-welfare crowd. ~TW