Mermaid Arts Centre to screen tale about a donkey that is a whole different animal
The Polish film 'EO' plays at Mermaid Arts Centre, on Monday, May 29, at 8pm.
Anyone with small children may be tempted to go and bring all the gang to watch ‘EO’ at the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray on Monday 29 May, but there is a catch.
By the renowned Polish writer-director Jerzy Skolimowski (‘Deep End’, ‘The Shout’), it’s about a little donkey, right? Right. But this little donkey does not have a nice life. In fact, it’s pretty grim.
Adults will find themselves looking away in parts; children will not want to see it all.
EO is a grey donkey, living in a travelling circus where he performs alongside his beloved owner Sandra. But when circumstances outside of his control separate him from the only life he has ever known, EO begins an adventurous journey through the modern European countryside.
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Unfolding through a series of vignettes and intermittently told from EO’s innocent viewpoint, Skolimowski exploits stunning cinematography and immersive sound design to create a bold, poetic fable-like story examining the ambiguous world we live in, side by side with the animal world which we pay little respect to.
RogerEbert.com editor, Matt Zoller Seitz, wrote: “There are very few people in this film who even seem to notice animals – and when they do, it sometimes leads to the worst kind of attention.”
But don’t let that put you off. It is still a beautiful, heartfelt and compassionate tale that raises the bar when it comes to drawing attention to the plight of animals.
The film was recently named 2022’s Best International Feature by the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle.
