How do you begin a conversation about Eo without simply collapsing into a state of complete psychological despair? This is one of the many questions that anyone endeavouring to discuss the ambitious drama written and directed by the legendary and highly influential Jerzy Skolimowski has to face when confronted with the abundance of emotions contained in every frame of this film. Taking its cue from Robert Bresson’s masterpiece Au Hasard Balthazar, which looked at the life of a donkey as he moved through the world, the film is a brilliant but haunting exploration of humanity, as seen through the eyes of an animal that experiences both compassion and kindness at the hands of different people as he makes his way through an unidentified European country, trying to make his way home, only to realize that this is not as easy as he imagined, and that the further he strays, the more challenges he encounters, reaching an emotional crescendo that even the most attentive of us could anticipate, nor the bravest could handle without becoming a jumble of emotions, each one earned and valuable, and indicative of the incredible power possessed by such a simple film. It seems bewildering that the most compassionate and humane film of the year is one that focuses on the trials and tribulations of a donkey, but when we consider the extent to which the director and his group of cohorts went to tell this story and add detail onto what was essentially a very simple narrative, we can see the impact this film is likely to make on every viewer, even those who are cynical about the potential for such a simple film to place us under an entranced spell of pure emotion, from which there is very little chance of walking away without having felt suitably shaken and provoked, which may be unexpected for a film as seemingly straightforward as this one, where everything is cleverly concealed and only revealed once the viewer has become suitably comfortable, which is a dangerous place to settle in when dealing with someone who is as daring as Skolimowski, a director whose entire career has been based on taking risks.

As a director, Skolimowski has made an indelible impression on the industry, having been involved in filmmaking for over half a century, many of his works shattering boundaries, challenging convention and inspiring legions of filmmakers, many of the greatest cinematic artists of all time citing him as an influence. With Eo, he continues to prove that, even late into the twilight of his life that he is still capable of putting together brilliant films, and that while he may be at an advanced age, he still possesses the same razor-sharp attentiveness that made his earlier work so incredibly intriguing and compelling. Despite the perceived simplicity of his work, Bresson was a director whose work is seen as almost entirely unimpeachable, and while many have been inspired by his style and approach to storytelling, few would ever think to create works that exist in dialogue with his films. As a result, it was a daring task for Skolimowski to even conceive of the idea of adapting Au Hasard Balthazar, even if only marginally. It’s not a remake, but rather an attempt to reimagine many of the ideas, setting them in a more contemporary milieu and looking at it from a perspective to which modern audiences should be able to relate. The result is a film that is brimming with life, as well as a very deep sense of melancholy, which was a factor that often drove Bresson’s work, making him the master of socially-conscious, bare-boned realism – and while Skolimowski is not at the point where he can be considered a successor to this mantle (especially since his works are often far too abstract to be considered traditionally realist – even Eo makes many bold artistic choices that situate it outside any clear categorization. In fact, this film is a genre unto itself, and Skolimowski frequently makes choices that emphasize the very peculiar nature of the story, which conceals deeper conversations that provoke thought, especially on matters as sincere as the treatment of the most vulnerable creatures that are not always provided with as much love and decency as they perhaps deserve.

It seems to almost be a cliche to remark that a film about an animal tells us more about humanity than any story driven by human characters – but Eo joins this lineage of films that were constructed out of both a love and admiration for the natural world and its inhabitants, as well as the disdain felt towards those who treat other living creatures as inferior based on the fact that we are supposedly more developed. It isn’t surprising that many live by the creed of being able to judge an individual based on how they treat animals, which are very often the most innocent of creatures, a far cry from the self-centred indulgence of humanity. Skolimowski is certainly far more interested in animals than he is in the human characters (to the point where even someone like Isabelle Huppert, who appears for a few brief scenes, feels like a needless addition tacked onto a film that didn’t need her), and Eo approaches these themes with a very precise sense of control. It takes a short while to fully understand what this film is aiming to convey – it’s far more than just about the adventures of a donkey as he makes his way through Europe, even if this is the aspect on which the film is mostly sold, and as a result serves to be the reason behind audiences falling so deeply in love with this story. Eo is a film about homecoming, albeit one in which the character’s home is an intangible construct – wherever Eo finds himself momentarily seems like it could be a sanctuary, until he realizes that the people who populate it are just as cruel and inconsiderate, compelling him to keep searching. There’s a vivid complexity in this approach, and Skolimowski draws many parallels between this donkey’s quest for a home and family in much the same way other directors would portray the plight of lonely people searching for a sense of belonging, something that is bizarrely absent in a lot of contemporary life, and which the director is inadvertently exploring this profoundly moving depiction of a donkey and his search for meaning, an abstract concept that makes perfect sense in the context of this film.

Eo exists in a world where the most complex stories are viewed as having more artistic integrity than those that exist purely for the sake of telling a story through very simple means, with the misconception being that something can only be considered effective art if it is elaborate and pushes boundaries, at least in a way that is explicitly defined as such. This is a feat of both storytelling and direction, which is not a concept that is particularly foreign for Skolimowski, who has spent almost his entire career proving that his work is nothing if not thoroughly inventive and captivating, even when following incredibly simple premises. Eo is constructed as a parable about the lengths to which humans can go to be cruel, and how rare it is to find compassion in a world driven by selfishness and debauchery, where theft and murder run amok and everyone is just focused on their own self-serving interests. It’s a challenging and unconventional storyline that is manifested so beautifully in Skolimowski’s direction, which keeps everything so extraordinarily simple, but adds several unique flourishes that help deliver the strong and potent message, which extends far further than just the immediate images with which we are presented. The director has a keen eye for detail, and there is not a single shot in this film that is not meant to convey a deeper message – and his use of colour and framing (done in collaboration with director of photography Michał Dymek) makes Eo one of the most beautiful films of the year, one of the rare instances where the cinematography is so breathtaking, the viewer actually feels overwhelmed with emotion, which is even more impressive considering it is all real, constructed from the natural beauty of the surrounding world, which serves as the stage for this hauntingly beautiful account of one creature’s journey through a treacherous environment.

Absolutely nothing can prepare the viewer for the emotions that sit securely at the heart of Eo, informing many of its intimidating and deeply complex ideas, which manifest as extraordinarily simple, delicate depictions of the human condition, as seen through the eyes of a donkey, who somehow possesses far more humanity than any living person, or at least in the context of this film. Skolimowski is an absolute genius of a filmmaker, and his perpetual refusal to abandon his renegade spirit has made him an individual whose artistic vision (which has lasted over half a century) has become defining of not only his career, but the European arthouse as a whole. The fact that he was able to make a film so refreshing and invigorating so late in his career shows how the body may age, but the youthful creativity and willingness to explore more abstract stories can never leave an artist. Eo is such an intricately-woven film, and while it may be extraordinarily difficult to watch based on the mistreatment the titular character endures, it is ultimately a film that carries a message, and one made specifically to highlight the director’s own adoration of the animal world, which he views as being pure, vulnerable and beautiful, in contrast to the indignant, cruel human race, who may have some brief moments of compassion, but are ultimately living individual lives that can often descend into violence and despair once presented with obstacles. Ultimately, Eo is not a film that lends itself to elaborate explanations or any real description outside of an objective, brief analysis of what the story contains – but this is part of the impact made by the film, since some of the most impactful art are not easily condensed into words, and have to be experienced in order to understand their brilliance. Intricate and sprawling, while also incredibly intimate and detailed in its depiction of its main character’s journey towards what he hopes is freedom, Eo is a heartbreaking ode to survival, and a film that has never been more relevant than it is today, with its message transcending geographical and generational boundaries and reminding us of the virtue of compassion, an increasingly rare commodity in the modern world.