Au hasard Balthazar

In 2022, Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski directed the poignant film Eo, narrating the life of an innocent donkey to show how things stand with a far less innocent creature: man. Skolimowski wrote the story himself, but readily revealed what had inspired him: Bresson's Au hasard Balthazar. In an interview with Cahiers du cinéma, Skolimowski confessed that the film had made him cry, the only time ever that a film managed to have this effect on him.

In the French countryside near the Pyrenees, a young donkey is raised by the children Jacques and his girlfriend Marie. They christen it Balthazar. When Jacques' parents have to give up their farm, the donkey is given away to local farmers. This kicks off a turbulent time in which the donkey changes hands over and over again. Not all owners treat it equally well.