EO

When my nephew and I were at the Broadway for Babylon, we saw the trailer for EO and he was fascinated by it.  He asked me if I would take him to see it so we went last night and, while he thought it was incredibly thought-provoking (we discussed it the whole drive home), I found it to be one of the most heartbreaking films I've ever seen.  EO, a small gray donkey with expressive brown eyes, is a circus performer in Poland and is lovingly cared for by his handler Kasandra (Sandra Drzymalska).  When an animal rights organization protests outside the circus, EO and the other animals are removed and thus begins an odyssey throughout Europe where EO experiences both kindness and cruelty from the people he encounters.  One of the most amusing sequences turns into one of the hardest to watch when EO inadvertently becomes the mascot of a soccer team when he distracts an opposing player kicking a penalty shot but is then viciously beaten by fans of the losing team.  There are so many ideas presented but the ones that resonated the most with me are the ways in which humans have disrupted the natural environment with technology so animals no longer have a habitat (birds are killed by wind turbines and foxes are shot in the forest by hunters using laser sights) and the ways in which humans exploit animals (using them as beasts of burden or for sport) and view them as disposable (herding them off to slaughter).  The imagery is incredibly striking, particularly the use of red which evokes very strong emotions, and the editing and sound design are disorienting but effective at portraying EO's place in the world.  I found this to be both incredibly beautiful and profoundly upsetting (the ending made me cry) but I recommend it.

Note:  I asked my nephew what drew him to this movie and he told me that he prefers creative storytelling.  I have turned him into a cinephile and I couldn't be prouder!