Parables of a free spirit

Posted on 18.10.2022

In two films made half a century apart, Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski shows that his vision of the world, both restless and poetic, has not changed.

'The donkey and the student' could be the title of a fable by La Fontaine, whereas, in fact, they are the heroes of two films by Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski, ‘Barrier’ (1966) and ‘EO’ (2022). Despite the distance of 56 years, these two works complement each other, so it makes perfect sense to screen them in the same edition of the festival.

An odyssey

‘Barrier’ tells the story of a student's journey through a totalitarian world that challenges him to live. ‘EO’ concerns the tribulations of a donkey in a hostile world that challenges him to survive. Skolimowski contrasts the living with the collective, when that collective is enslaved by a nameless toxic system. The donkey and the student perform astounding physical feats, miraculous escapes, admirable revivals…s.

Outside and inside

Between the donkey and the student, everything exudes mental projection. What is real? What is a dream and/or a nightmare? By exploring without ever defining the worlds of cities, the forest or nature that host the characters of ‘Barrier’ and ‘EO’, Skolimowski shows the importance of interiority.

EO, 2022 © DR

Wordless

Between the donkey and the student, everything exudes mental projection. What is real? What is a dream and/or a nightmare? By exploring without ever defining the worlds of cities, the forest or nature that host the characters of ‘Barrier’ and ‘EO’, Skolimowski shows the importance of interiority.sé en cinquante-six ans ? Skolimowski, âgé de quatre-vingt-quatre ans, esprit toujours libre, répond à cette question grâce à son âne fantastique et à son étudiant des années 60 dans deux films imaginatifs et passionnants.

To see ‘Barrier’ and then ‘EO’ is to witness the evolution of the world in the face of chaos. What has happened in fifty-six years? Skolimowski, who is 84 and still a free spirit, answers this question with his fantastic donkey and his student from the 1960s in two imaginative and exciting films.

Barrier, 1966 © DR

 Virginie Apiou

Screenings :

EO by Jerzy Skolimowski (2022, 1h27)
Comoedia Tue. 18 7pm

Barrier by Jerzy Skolimowski (Bariera, 1966, 1h18)
Pathé Bellecour Wed. 19 5pm | Lumière Terreaux Thu. 20 11am