The read
Critics rate it 21 points higher than audiences do.
Synopsis
The story of a donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations beyond his understanding. Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie, is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of humankind. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fate nobly.
Ratings
IMDb7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes100%
Metacritic98/100
Critics rate it 21 points higher than audiences do.
527 audience votes
Key crew
- Robert BressonDirector
- Robert BressonWriter
- Jean WienerOriginal Music Composer
Cast
- Anne WiazemskyMarie
- Walter GreenJacques
- François LafargeGérard
- Jean-Claude GuilbertArnold
- Philippe AsselinMarie's Father
- Pierre KlossowskiMerchant
- Nathalie JoyautMarie's Mother
- Marie-Claire FremontBaker's Wife
- Jean-Joël BarbierThe Priest
Stills
Themes
suiciderapecountrysidemiserydonkeygang leaderyouth gangblack and whitecrueltyburdenbeast of burdentranscendence