What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedEO
Jerzy Skolimowski · Film · 2022
If you loved EO, start with Au Hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to EO across media.
You were drawn to EO because it uses a singular perspective to explore the profound cruelty and grace inherent in existence.
Start with the source
The source
Au Hasard Balthazar
Robert Bresson · Film · 1966
Books on the same thread
The Road
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2007
Explores: Parent-child bond, Moral ambiguity, Existential dread.
Like the desolate path taken by the donkey in EO, this story strips away civilization to examine the raw, existential struggle of maintaining humanity amidst a cold, indifferent world.
An Immense World
Ed Yong · Book
Explores: sensory perception, animal behavior, environmental awareness.
If EO shifted your view on the animal experience, this exploration of sensory perception provides the scientific context for the hidden, complex lives that exist beyond human understanding.
The Wonky Donkey
Craig Smith · Book · 2018
Explores: Humor, Animals, Wordplay.
While EO captures the melancholic reality of a donkey, this lighthearted story offers a playful, whimsical contrast to the heavy, philosophical weight of Skolimowski's cinematic vision of the animal.
The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas
Ursula K. Le Guin · Book · 1993
Explores: Utilitarianism, Moral compromise, Social responsibility.
This story mirrors the central moral conflict in EO, forcing you to confront the collective guilt and societal cruelty that allows for the suffering of the innocent.
Series on the same thread
To Your Eternity
Series · 2021
Shares 2 threads with EO: Existentialism, Empathy.
Much like the wandering protagonist of EO, this immortal being experiences the fragmented, often tragic nature of life, observing the complexities of the human condition without losing innocence.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Moon Ji-won · Series · 2022
Explores: Autism representation, Acceptance, Overcoming prejudice.
This narrative echoes the way EO highlights the struggle for dignity, focusing on the pursuit of acceptance and the search for community when facing societal prejudice and misunderstanding.
BEASTARS
Series · 2019
Shares a thread with EO: Existentialism.
This show builds on the animal perspective found in EO, using anthropomorphic characters to investigate the same themes of societal hierarchy, predatory violence, and the struggle for self-discovery.
Slow Horses
Series · 2022
Explores: Underdog Story, Bureaucratic Incompetence, Redemption.
Where EO observes the world through a vulnerable outsider, this series follows cynical underdogs navigating bureaucratic traps, capturing a similarly bleak yet deeply human sense of institutional failure.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Ezra Klein Show
New York Times Opinion · Podcast
Explores: climate change, political systems, market influence.
If the environmental themes in EO left you contemplating our impact, these conversations provide a deeper analytical framework for understanding the political and systemic forces shaping our world.
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
These stories reflect the experimental, cinematic nature of EO, offering brief, poignant windows into the human condition that challenge your moral perspective through diverse and unexpected character journeys.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is EO a remake of another film?
Yes, EO is inspired by the 1966 film Au Hasard Balthazar. Both films explore the world through the eyes of a donkey, focusing on the experiences of innocence, joy, and pain encountered during their respective journeys through the lives of the people they meet.
What is the main premise of EO?
The film EO follows the life of a grey donkey with melancholic eyes as he travels through the world. He encounters both good and bad people, experiences alternating cycles of joy and pain, and faces the unpredictable nature of fortune while maintaining his innocence throughout the story.
Should I watch Au Hasard Balthazar if I enjoyed EO?
If you enjoyed the themes presented in EO, watching Au Hasard Balthazar is recommended. As the source material for the narrative approach, it provides a similar perspective on the world seen through the eyes of an animal and explores the emotional weight of a donkey's life journey.
Does the donkey in EO lose his innocence during the film?
No, the donkey in EO does not lose his innocence. Throughout the film, he experiences various forms of joy, pain, and the random turns of fortune, but he remains innocent regardless of the good or bad people he meets along his path.