Overview
A poignant journey through the eyes of an unlikely hero, revealing the beauty and cruelty of the world.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- poetic
- unsettling
- reflective viewing
- arthouse cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised EO as a formally daring, visually brilliant, and deeply affecting animal-centered road drama that reworks Bressonian humanism for modern Europe.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
EO follows the donkey’s journeys while presenting people, landscapes, and violence in relation to what the animal encounters.
The donkey moves between a circus, equestrian center, sanctuary, and other locations during a succession of encounters.
Critics explicitly describe EO as bravely updating Robert Bresson, particularly the animal-centered tradition of Au Hasard Balthazar.
The donkey’s journey is rendered through an impressionistic audiovisual perspective rather than conventional anthropomorphic narration.
Films like EO, and why
Au Hasard Balthazar
shared donkey-centered drama, spiritual road movie structure, and compassionate scrutiny of human cruelty
Old Yeller
shared animal-centered perspective, emotional severity, and tragic human treatment of a vulnerable creature
The Straight Story
shared contemplative road movie form, poetic visual storytelling, and episodic encounters across a changing landscape
Leviathan
shared modern European setting, bleak humanism, and formally adventurous art-house drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Jerzy Skolimowski
- Release Date
- 2022-09-30
- Runtime
- 88 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (446)
Cast
- Sandra Drzymalska
- Isabelle Huppert
- Lorenzo Zurzolo
- Mateusz Kościukiewicz
- Tomasz Organek
- Lolita Chammah
- Agata Sasinowska
- Anna Rokita
- Michał Przybysławski
- Gloria Iradukunda
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is EO about?
- A donkey’s wandering journey becomes a stark, poetic vision of contemporary Europe’s capacity for tenderness and cruelty.
- What is EO like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of EO as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is EO violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in EO as moderate.
- What did critics think of EO?
- Critics broadly praised EO as a formally daring, visually brilliant, and deeply affecting animal-centered road drama that reworks Bressonian humanism for modern Europe.
- Which films are like EO?
- Films with a similar feel include Au Hasard Balthazar, Old Yeller, The Straight Story, and Leviathan.
- How long is EO?
- EO runs 88 minutes.
- Where can I watch EO?
- In United States, EO streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
