Movie Review

Film Review: EO (2022): Jerzy Skolimowski’s Film is Powerful and Overwhelming in Scope

Sandra Drzymalska Eo

EO Review

EO (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, written by Ewa Piaskowska and Jerzy Skolimowski and starring Sandra Drzymalska, Isabelle Huppert, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Mateusz Kosciukiewicz, Tomasz Organek, Lolita Chammah and Andrzej Szeremeta.

EO is a harrowing Polish movie directed by Jerzy Skolimowski that makes the audience feel a lot of sympathy for a grey donkey called EO who stumbles through life quite a bit while trying to find his place in the world. That donkey seems to be at his most remarkable happy place when he is around the circus trainer named Kasandra (Sandra Drzymalska) who we meet at the beginning of the movie. We can only infer that being with her is EO’s most precious state of happiness from what the movie shows us. We don’t know what EO is thinking although we realize he’s on a journey to find some kind of meaningful existence for himself. Unfortunately, his experiences have many downs as well as some ups, both of which compromise this unusually fascinating adventure.

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The film opens portraying EO’s relationship with the sensitive and caring Kasandra who is loving towards EO and makes attempts to see him even after they are separated when the circus goes belly up and there are accusations of animal cruelty. One of the most powerful scenes in this picture has EO walking down a road late at night. He seems to have escaped but finds himself right in the midst of the killing of a fellow animal. This sequence shows EO’s attempts to try to find what he is looking for, only to be thwarted by a harsh reality which is more devastating than it is consoling.

However, the love shown to EO by Kasandra is very heartwarming to watch in the beginning of the movie. We hope other characters follow suit but as EO becomes involved with a winning soccer team in the middle of the film, he is hurt and pretty much left for dead by some violence seekers. He is soon taken in and helped to try to heal. What follows the movie’s beating scene (which is not shown, only implied) is a tense sequence with red lighting that is among the most creative scenes of the year and I won’t reveal the way it unfolds but it is quite interesting to watch. It’s a part of the picture which is hard to explain (because interpretations may vary) but is incorporated well into the film.

EO works well in showing the journey of a donkey who is floating through life in such a way where he wants to chart his own path of happiness but simply cannot due to the way his life happens and circumstances unfold. There are a number of humans who come into the picture along the way. Particularly effective is the portrayal of an Italian priest named Vito (Lorenzo Zurzolo). For his limited screen time, Zurzolo does a solid job in a small role within the picture.

Much has been made of Isabelle Huppert’s appearance as The Countess in the film who tells a key character that she will not support his gambling habits anymore and that his future is limited to the choices she will make. Huppert is in fine form in just a small portion of the movie. She comes on the screen with fury and passion in her brief role. Still, Sandra Drzymalska drives the film home in her brief but memorable role here. She plays the character at the core of the movie. Although she’s not in a lot of the picture, she’s in enough to leave an impact on the viewer.

There is little doubt you will find some sort of admiration for EO through the tracking scenes of the donkey that transpire in the picture. EO was played by several donkeys according to articles I’ve read and the way the camera follows EO is absolutely phenomenal from a technical standpoint. It is a wonderful accomplishment to be able to capture the animal’s movements and by focusing on his eyes and the way he sees the world, the viewer will be quite captivated.

This picture reaches an unsettling point that was hard to watch towards the end but the filmmaker, Jerzy Skolimowksi, never does anything to make us want to abandon the picture. We actually root for EO. Skolimowski simply tells the story as it is. You may find EO one of the most heartwarming characters of the year in terms of the way he tries to find his place in a world in which the odds are against him.

Though EO has flaws such as its brief running time (86 minutes) and some underdeveloped human characters, its heart is where it needs to be. It’s a hard picture to watch but there are many rewards for those brave enough to take the challenge to follow a donkey through the tribulations and joys of life. It’s a well made picture.

Rating: 8/10

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Thomas Duffy

Thomas Duffy is a graduate of the Pace University New York City campus and has been an avid movie fan all of his life. In college, he interviewed film stars such as Minnie Driver and Richard Dreyfuss as well as directors such as Tom DiCillo and Mark Waters. He is the author of nine works of fiction available on Amazon. He's been reviewing movies since his childhood and posts his opinions on social media. You can follow him on Twitter. His user handle is @auctionguy28.
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