Eo

Among the many glorious sub-categories of cinema we also find one dedicated to donkeys. Which is to say, films whose protagonists are furry, walk with an inimitably cheerful elegance, have the most communicative ears, and surely the deepest of all eyes.

The latest ass to grace the screen is the protagonist of IFFR-darling Jerzy Skolimowski's Eo. What a simple name! And simple its life is: Eo performs in a circus together with kind Kasandra, who knows how to keep her fleecy friend happy. That is, until the animal rights activists turn up at the circus gates and demand freedom for these docile creatures that probably know no other life. Soon, poor Eo gets turned into a beast of burden, a commodity on a gallivanting trip through Europe at the mercy of strangers he meets on his way, some of whom want to own and (ab)use Eo, while others are just glad to make his acquaintance.

Thus, humankind is mirrored here at its best and worse through the presence of the only animal God chose for His voice (Numbers 22:28 & 22:30). But that the donkey seems so dear to Him won't spare it from the saddest of all fates – the fate of all of us.

– Olaf Möller

The screening on 27 January will be preceded by a video essay by Kevin B. Lee, as part of the Critics' Choice programme.