Review of Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) by Oliver E — 23 Jan 2013

It's hard to be invested in what's going on when virtually every character is an idiot, an asshole, or, in the case of ostensible main characters Marie, both. The only interesting character is the donkey, Balthazar, who doesn't get nearly enough screen-time despite being the title character.

Instead Bresson made the baffling decision to devote the main focus of the film to the goings on in a small town on the French Swiss border, which wouldn't be so bad except that the story is frustratingly sketchy and none of the characters are worthy of attention beyond Balthazar, who is consequently sidelined for most of the picture.