EO · reception & legacy

How EO has been received, argued over, and remembered.

The arc

Rapturously received at Cannes 2022, where it won the Jury Prize, then rode a wave of critical love — Cahiers du Cinéma named it the best film of the year — into an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature. It's since settled in as the late-career triumph of an 84-year-old master, and Letterboxd's favourite donkey.

What's debated

The perennial fight: is it a profound heir to Bresson's Au Hasard Balthazar or a gorgeous but hollow imitation — with the strobing red interludes and the out-of-nowhere Isabelle Huppert segment as the flashpoints.

Its footprint

2022 was cinema's unofficial Year of the Donkey — EO and Banshees of Inisherin's Jenny got endlessly paired in memes, lists, and 'donkey double feature' jokes — and Skolimowski thanking his donkeys by name in an awards speech became an instantly beloved clip.

Where it stands

An instant art-house canon entry and a genuine Letterboxd darling — the rare slow-cinema festival winner people recommend with 'trust me, it's the donkey movie.'

Named by the director

Influences Jerzy Skolimowski has publicly named — the director's own word, distinct from the inferred lines of influence.

• Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) — Skolimowski repeatedly said Bresson's donkey film was the only movie that ever made him cry, and that EO was made in direct tribute to it.
• Robert Bresson — He openly framed the film as an homage to Bresson while insisting he'd deliberately avoid imitating his style.