EO (film)

Last updated

EO
Eo poster.png
Release poster
Polish IO
Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski
Written by
  • Jerzy Skolimowski
  • Ewa Piaskowska
Produced by
  • Jerzy Skolimowski
  • Ewa Piaskowska
Starring
CinematographyMichał Dymek
Edited byAgnieszka Glińska
Music by Paweł Mykietyn
Production
companies
  • Skopia Film
  • Alien Films
Release dates
  • 19 May 2022 (2022-05-19)(Cannes)
  • 30 September 2022 (2022-09-30)(Poland)
Running time
88 minutes [1]
Countries
  • Poland
  • Italy
Languages
  • Polish
  • Italian
  • English
  • French
Box office$2.6 million [2]

EO (Polish : IO) is a 2022 Polish-Italian drama road movie directed by Jerzy Skolimowski. Inspired by Robert Bresson's 1966 film Au Hasard Balthazar , it follows the life of a donkey introduced to us while featured in a Polish circus. [3]

Contents

The film premiered in competition at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2022, where it won the Jury Prize, tying with The Eight Mountains . [4] Submitted by Poland, EO was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. [5]

Plot

EO is a donkey working for a Polish circus. He performs in an act with Kasandra, who loves and protects him. When Animal Rights activists help get the circus shut down, EO is taken away and brought to a horse stable to work. In the truck being transported, and at the stables, EO sees horses running free and being pampered. After knocking over a shelf of trophies, EO is sent to a farm, where he seems depressed and won't eat. He gives rides to children through woods, where trees continue to be cut down to create space for man.

One night Kasandra visits him, bringing him a carrot muffin for his birthday, and telling him, "may all your dreams come true." When she leaves, EO gets through the fence and tries to follow her, getting lost. EO walks through the dark forest among various non-human life. Hunters with laser scopes begin shooting. EO observes a mortally wounded wolf. Sometime later, EO walks through an empty town, and in a store window sees tropical fish in an aquarium. He ends up at a soccer game, and his braying distracts a penalty shot, angering the losing team. The winning team takes EO with them to a local bar. That night, members of the losing team ransack the bar, and upon seeing EO, beat him nearly to death. A four-legged robot is seen struggling to successfully stand and right itself.

EO is at an animal hospital, where a janitor questions why the vet is trying to save him. Later, EO is working at a fur factory where a man shocks and kills terrified foxes. EO kicks the man in the head, possibly killing him. EO is loaded into a truck with other animals, though he isn't on the manifest. The driver, Mateo, stops at a rest stop and gives food to a homeless woman who runs away after he suggests having sex with her. An unknown figure slits Mateo's throat. Nearby, a priest named Vito is traveling to his family home and sees EO tied to a pole, as the police investigate Mateo's murder. Vito takes EO with him. Like Kasandra, Vito talks to EO like a person, even admitting he has eaten donkey meat sausage. Vito and his stepmother, The Countess, argue about Vito's gambling. EO notices the gate into The Countess' estate has opened, and he leaves. EO walks over a stone bridge in front of a large dam, watching the water flow. Sometime later, EO is with cows being led into a slaughterhouse. The screen goes to black, followed by the sound of a captive bolt pistol being fired, indicating EO has been slaughtered.

Cast

The donkey Eo is portrayed by six donkeys: Ettore, Hola, Marietta, Mela, Rocco, and Tako.

Production

EO was shot in both Poland and Italy. Filming locations in Poland included the Wilanów Palace in Warsaw as well as remote villages throughout the Podkarpackie Voivodeship and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. In Italy, the film was shot in Rome and Sicily. Principal photography was completed by March 2022. [6]

Release

The film had its world premiere in competition at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2022. [1] [7] It had a limited theatrical release in USA by Janus Films on 18 November 2022. [8] [9] It was released on VOD by Criterion on 23 February 2023. [8]

Reception

Box office

EO grossed near $1.1 million in North America, [8] and $1.3 million in other territories for a total worldwide of $2.3 million. [2]

Critical response

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, EO holds an approval rating of 97% based on 151 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads, "Bravely updating Bresson with brilliant results, EO is a donkey-driven drama that'll stubbornly stick with you long after the credits roll." [9] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film holds a score of 85 out of 100 based on 30 reviews indicating "universal acclaim". [10]

EO was ranked fourth on Cahiers du Cinéma 's top 10 films of 2022 list. [11]

Accolades

EO was submitted by Poland for the 2023 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, and made the December shortlist. [12] [13] [14]

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Cannes Film Festival 28 May 2022 Palme d'Or Jerzy Skolimowski Nominated [15]
Jury Prize Won [4]
[15]
Cannes Soundtrack Award Paweł Mykietyn Won [16]
Miskolc International Film Festival 17 September 2022Emeric Pressburger PrizeEONominated [17]
Hamptons International Film Festival 15 October 2022Zelda Penzel Giving Voice to the Voiceless AwardWon [18]
Montclair Film Festival 30 October 2022Fiction FeatureNominated [19]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards 16 November 2022 Best Original Score in an Independent Film (Foreign Language)Paweł MykietynNominated [20]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2 December 2022 Best International Film EOWon [21]
National Board of Review 8 December 2022 Top Five Foreign Language Films Won [22]
European Film Awards 10 December 2022 Best Director Jerzy SkolimowskiNominated [23]
Best Original Score Paweł MykietynWon [24]
European University Film Award EOWon [25]
New York Film Critics Online 11 December 2022Best Foreign Language FilmWon [26]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association 11 December 2022 Best Foreign Language Film Won [27]
Best Cinematography Michał DymekWon
Best Music/Score Paweł MykietynRunner-up
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association 12 December 2022 Best International/Foreign Language Film EONominated [28]
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association 19 December 2022 Best Foreign Language Film5th place [29]
Russell Smith Award Won
National Society of Film Critics 7 January 2023 Best Foreign Language Film Won [30]
Best Cinematography Michał DymekWon
Belgian Film Critics Association 8 January 2023 Grand Prix EONominated [31]
Toronto Film Critics Association 8 January 2023 Best International Feature Film Runner-up [32]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle 9 January 2023 Best International Feature Film Nominated [33]
Austin Film Critics Association 10 January 2023 Best International FilmNominated [34]
Seattle Film Critics Society 17 January 2023 Best Film Not in the English LanguageNominated [35]
Online Film Critics Society 23 January 2023 Best Picture 10th place [36]
Best Film Not in the English Language Nominated
London Film Critics' Circle 5 February 2023 Foreign Language Film of the Year Nominated [37]
César Awards 24 February 2023 Best Foreign Film Nominated [38]
Golden Reel Awards 26 February 2023 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Foreign Language Feature Radosław Ochnio, Marta Weronika Werońska, Suraj BardiaNominated [39]
Polish Film Awards 3 March 2023 Best Film EOWon [40]
Best Director Jerzy SkolimowskiWon
Best Actress Sandra Drzymalska Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Mateusz Kościukiewicz Nominated
Best Screenplay Jerzy Skolimowski, Ewa PiaskowskaWon
Best Film Score Paweł Mykietyn Won
Best Cinematography Michał DymekWon
Best Editing Agnieszka GlińskaWon
Best Costume Design Katarzyna LewińskaNominated
Best Production Design Mirosław KoncewiczNominated
Best Sound Radosław Ochnio, Marcin Matlak, Marta Weronika WerońskaNominated
Academy Awards 12 March 2023 Best International Feature Film Poland Nominated [41]
Golden Trailer Awards 29 June 2023Best BTS/EPK for a Feature Film (Over 2 minutes)"Donkey" (Jump Cut)Nominated [42]

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