Inspired by a passage from Dostoyevsky's The Idiot, Robert Bresson's masterpiece follows the tragic journey of Balthazar, a sad-eyed donkey who experiences a series of cruelties as he's passed from owner to owner. The animal's plight mirrors the situation of his first owner, Marie (Anna Wiazemsky), while simultaneously evoking the martyrdom of Christ. The finest realization of Bresson's unique approach to framing, sound design, and narrative, this is a film "for which the words 'sublime,' 'transcendent,' and 'masterpiece' can seem somehow lacking" (Manhola Dargis, Los Angeles Times).

Robert Bresson---France---1966---95 mins.