As we noted a year ago, we have a category of film known as "Baby Goat Movies." We define them, since 2010's "Le Quattro Volte," as "a certain type of art film -- quaint, rural, picturesque, mostly wordless, ponderous -- that will almost certainly get me mocked for liking, even among my most intellectual and erudite friends." The latest is a letdown.
EO (C+) - Last year it was a pig ("Gunda"); this year it is a lovable donkey. EO is the Zelig of farm animals, wandering aimlessly through a series of barely related vignettes under random circumstances. Most of the details likely will dissipate from your brain within hours of viewing.
He goes from a Polish circus, to a soccer game and other unmemorable venues. He seems to have memories of and flashbacks to a pretty circus gal who would kissed and caress him. These days, he's more likely to get jumped by soccer hooligans.
Legendary Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski certainly has a visual flair, though frankly it is just too showy to be effective here. His go-to move is to bathe scenes in a red glow. (The film poster is saturated in the color.) His visual flourishes are more of a distraction than a valid mode of conjuring any viable narrative.
And then, toward the end, Isabelle Huppert shows up, for no discernible purpose. Her character whines a lot to a stepson and then makes out with him. This has nothing to do with our beloved donkey. It's as if Skolimowski had the opportunity to cast Huppert and shoehorned this scene into his latest movie. At least there finally is sharp dialogue and action that doesn't involve beating an animal senseless with clubs.
"EO" never allows the viewer to gain traction with the story it is trying to tell and the point it is trying to make. These vignettes are disjointed, and in the end -- a pretty clever but horrific ending, by the way -- the final result is unsatisfying.
BONUS TRACK
Try out the trailer:
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