EO is Poland's entry to this year's Academy Awards competition for "Best International Film." It's an offbeat film whose protagonist is a donkey called "Eo" (which seems to be the Polish equivalent of "hee-haw"). At the beginning of the film, Eo is part of a circus act that is forced to close because of insolvency. Eo is abandoned, then escapes into a bizarre series of picaresque vignettes among humans that take him all over Europe. He often inadvertently causes havoc. The vignettes are often violent, dealing with rabid sports fans or crooks. For the most part the episodes are unrelted to anything that has happened previously. The one thing they have in common is that poor Eo is badly abused in one way or another. The most interesting episode concerns Isabel Huppert as a character not unlike the tragic Greek character, Phaedra. It has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. (I assume it was added to attach a star "name" to it, in order to raise the financing.) The end result is a haunting and enigmatic experience that left me thinking about it for days.
The movie is beautifully photographed and has an affecting musical score. But, SPOILER, this movie is a downer. It's beautifully done, but not in the least bit uplifting. Nonetheless, I'm glad I saw it.
The movie is beautifully photographed and has an affecting musical score. But, SPOILER, this movie is a downer. It's beautifully done, but not in the least bit uplifting. Nonetheless, I'm glad I saw it.