Tender and arrestingly gorgeous, Edmond was a Donkey brings us to melancholic shores. The film revolves around Edmond, a small quiet man who is not like everybody else—and he is very well aware of it. Even though he has a loving wife and a job where he excels at, Edmond discovers that he wanted to be a donkey, which opened a void between himself and others.
This 15-minute animation by Franck Dion has garnered a string of awards from numerous festival since its release in 2012. The film was co-produced by Papy3D Productions, the National Film Board of Canada, and Arte France with support from Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, CNC (Nouvelles technologies en production), Procirep, and Ville de Paris.
Edmond’s character holds the foundation of the whole film. Narrated through the accounts of people around him, the creator gives the audience a 360-degree view of the whole narrative—from the point of view of Edmond and others. As the film slips into a melancholic journey, it blossoms into a story of finding your true nature and letting go of things—as steady as they may be. It’s a story of a character who, little by little, embraces his uniqueness even though it deviates from society’s standards of being “normal”.
Scene after scene, the film makes the audience realize that it serves something bigger than calculated film making. This is a short that seamlessly produces a marriage between bewitching visuals and a one-of-a-kind story that burns a mark in your mind.
Edmond was a Donkey is one of the most intensely beautiful animations I have ever seen. The film’s arresting power lies in it’s ability to enthrall you in human sorrow and the beauty that it produces.
Related Links:
Edmond was a Donkey’s Official Website
Edmond was a Donkey on Facebook
Franck Dion’s Official Website
Franck Dion on Vimeo