This is a harsh film. It’s an animal welfare film, of a sorts. Following a “liberated” circus donkey, it has little opportunity to preach a message, nor, in its effort to focus on the donkey as narrative perspective, does it ever really degenerate into torture porn a lá PETA exposés, but it does not paint humanity, in our treatment of other species or even our own, in a predominately positive light. In general, it is an astonishing film for its cinematography: a wooded nocturnal scene early in the film literally took my breath away. But even more so for its capturing of animal, well, acting, I’ll say. I don’t know the circumstances of some of the animals filmed (at the end they assure no animals were harmed), but the sentiments were so visceral. Terror and affection were obvious in such scenes. The visuals also become quite trippy at many points, and a wide variety of music is used both evocatively and to characterize the humans whose vignettes are so brief.

I don’t even know what to make of the ending. I had seen coverage of this film, descriptions that gave me an entirely different idea of what the film would be than what it was. Part of me wants to suggest avoiding engaging empathetic faculties in watching this film, because it can be draining. At the same time, I wonder if this movie would have any effect on the disaffected.