Could a real donkey be sadder than Winnie the Pooh's Eeyore?

EO

Starring Sandra Drzymalska, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Mateusz Kosciukiewicz, Isabelle Huppert. Written by Ewa Piaskowska and Jerzy Skolimowski. Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski. Now playing at TIFF Bell Lightbox. 86 minutes. STC

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (out of 4)

Peter Howell

Movie Critic

Simply the saddest donkey since Winnie the Pooh’s friend Eeyore, whose name is hinted at in the title. All this bundle of grey fur and unblinking brown eyes wants to do is live and perform at the circus with his devoted carer, Kasandra (Sandra Drzymalska). The universe conspires against EO, setting him on a voyage through the Polish and Italian countrysides where he’ll experience the best and worst of human behaviour. Polish master Jerzy Skolimowski directed this Cannes Jury Prize winner, an affecting ode to empathy and nature. Inspired in part by Robert Bresson's "Au Hasard Balthazar." 🌓

(Originally published in the Toronto Star.)

Twitter: @peterhowellfilm