Au Hasard Balthazar movie review: On a girl and her donkey

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Au Hasard Balthazar, directed by Robert Bresson in 1966, was screened in homage to Anne Wiazemsky, who played Marie, the protagonist. She died on October 5. The film, of contemporary relevance, is set in the early 1900s. It talks about subordination. It followed the life of a donkey, Balthazar, and its owner, the young girl Marie, from birth to death. The shy, farm girl, Marie, and her beloved Balthazar grow up to be separated. However, the film captures both their fates as they live parallel lives and continuously face abuses of all forms from the people they encounter. 

The donkey has several owners. Almost all of them exploited him. He faced cruelty. The same was the case with Marie. Often they suffered at the hands of the same people. The baby donkey is a child’s pet. However, it has to work as a farm animal, pull cart and is made to work hard. Meanwhile, the young girl, who first acquired Balthazar as a pet, also grows up. She too is badly treated by people around, including an indifferent and selfish boyfriend. Bresson never attempted to humanise Balthazar. Even though Balthazar is blessed with “the salt of wisdom” in a mock baptism at the beginning of the film, he always behaved with animal ignorance.