In the Place of the Donkey: The Subjectivity of the Nonhuman Animal and the Anti-speciesist Perspective in 'Eo'

Abstract

This article investigates how the anti-speciesist message conveyed in Eo (Io, Jerzy Skolimowski, 2022) hinges on the assertion of the subjectivity of its donkey protagonist. Following a consideration of the “animal turn” and a discussion of its manifestations in audiovisual studies and recent film production, Eo is examined using the methodology of textual analysis. Attention to key sequences reveals the authentic leading role played by a non-anthropomorphic donkey who is presented as a subject with agency. The analysis also highlights the access the film provides both to the donkey’s subjective way of experiencing his surroundings (Umwelt), including the depiction of his interaction with other species, and to his inner world (Innenwelt). It also explores the director’s unorthodox technical approach, which places us in the donkey’s point of view and connects us to him on sensory and emotional levels. The conclusions underline Eo’s subversive message supported by cinematography that is at once experimental and transgressive and the original alternative the film offers to the traditional depiction of non-human animals and the relationships we establish with them.