Donkeys are turning the 2023 Oscars into a real horse race.

A donkey named Jenny is a defacto service animal, aka an emotional-support animal, for Pádraic (Colin Farrell), and a bonafide scene-stealer in “The Banshees Of Inisherin,” nominated for nine Oscars.

Donkey and Shrek, stars of the “Shrek” franchise, are briefly in a flashback scene in “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” nominated for a feature animation film Oscar.

A donkey also figures in the story line of “Triangle of Sadness,” nominated for three Oscars.

And let’s not forget “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio. Oh, wait. Pinocchio is not transformed into a donkey in this version, nominated for an animation feature Oscar.

A donkey named EO is the title character and ostensibly the star of “EO,” the entry from Poland nominated for an international feature film Oscar.

None of the aforementioned donkeys are nominated for Oscars in 2023. Nor are they likely to walk the red carpet March 12 outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. That could be a good thing. California has enough to deal with.

“EO” is not the first movie to feature a donkey. Notable cinema donkeys of yore include Eeyore in “Winnie the Pooh” (2011) and the Donkeys in “Encanto” (2021).

“EO” is dramatic, thrilling, mysterious, hilarious, informative and heart-breaking. It’s nearly everything you could want in a movie-going experience. Moreover, the film is extraordinary film-making. You can’t imagine how the film-maker accomplished many of the scenes with the donkey.

“EO” begins at a traveling circus, where EO is one of the trained animals that performs. The circus is protested by animal-rights activists. The circus goes bankrupt. EO is taken away. Kasandra (Sandra Drzymalska), who cared for EO, is very sad.

EO is trailered to a horse-training academy. A beautiful white stallion is his stablemate. EO enjoys munching on a necklace of carrots. EO is relegated to being harnessed to an old wooden cart. EO bristles at his handlers, scampers away and upsets shelves of horse-riding contest trophies.

EO is transported to a farm, where he joins other donkeys in the drudgery of field work. Kasandra shows up on the back of her boyfriend’s motorcycle. After Kasandra departs, EO knocks down a fence rails and wanders off into the deep forest.

EO dodges bullets, attends a European football match that he disrupts, is attacked by hooligan fans and is cared for by a veterinarian at an animal hospital.

“EO” features Lorenzo Zurzolo as Vito, a young Italian priest, and Isabelle Huppert as The Countess.

“EO” is directed by Jerzy Skolimowski (“Torrents of Spring,” 1989; “Moonlighting,” 1982; “Le départ,” 1967) from a screenplay he co-wrote with his wife, actress-writer-producer Ewa Piaskowska.

The screenplay was inspired by “Au Hasard Balthazar” (1966) by French director Robert Bresson. That film is said to have been, in turn, inspired by the novel, “The Idiot” (1868-69) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The Bresson film tells the story of a donkey, whose owners treat him harshly.

The film, “EO,” approaches societal topics obliquely. You might say the film has the point of view of a donkey, from one or the other eyes on each side of EO’s face. Call it a donkey-cam.

EO the donkey witnesses all that is going on around him. He seems to see all, know all, and especially feel all. The donkey’s bray is a cri de cœur, a cry of the heart.

The donkey’s eyes are often shown in extreme close-ups, with reflections of landscapes, interiors and sky in its eyes. In some scenes, the donkey’s eyes even seem to tear up.

The camera work is such that EO becomes a character, not unlike the cartoon character of Eeyore in “Winnie the Pooh,” Donkey in “Shrek” or Jenny in “The Banshees of Inisherin.”

The cinematographer in “EO” by director of photography Michal Dymek creates a personality not only for the donkey, EO, but for the lead characters, supporting characters and the often stunning landscape seen along EO’s journey. The scenes seem to have been filmed with available light with lends to the sense of realism.

The score by composer Pawel Mykietyn uses classical music motifs that explode into shards of sounds, oboes, bassoons, brass, strings and percussion, enhancing sentimental moments, melancholy moods and dramatic elements.

In “EO,” a metaphor of the lowly donkey ministering to those along the way is not lost. The implication is inferred and is not heavy-handed.

“EO” will be enjoyed by animal-lovers, foreign-film aficionados and Oscar film nominee list watcher completists.

“EO,”

No MPAA rating; Genre: Drama; English subtitles; Run time: 1 hour, 28 minutes. Distributed by Janus Films.

Credit Readers Anonymous:

In “EO,” the donkey Eo is portrayed by six donkeys: Ettore, Hola, Marietta, Mela, Rocco and Tako (the main donkey). “EO” was filmed in Poland and Italy.

Theatrical Movie Domestic Box Office,

Feb. 3-5: “Knock at the Cabin” opened at No. 1, with $14.1 million in 3,643 theaters, knocking “Avatar: The Way of Water” from its seven-week-straight No. 1 run, dropping two places to No. 3 with $11.3 million in 3,310 theaters, $636.9 million domestic; $2 billion worldwide, eight weeks, with “80 for Brady” opening at No. 2 with $12.7 million in 3,912 theaters, and “BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas” opening at No. 4 with $8 million in 1,210 theaters.

“Knock at the Cabin” is the fourth movie in a row opening at No. 1 for director M. Night Shyamalan, which include “Old,” “Glass” and “Split.” Shyamalan’s other No. 1 openers include “The Sixth Sense,” “Signs” and “The Village.”

5. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” dropped three places, $7.8 million in 3,290 theaters, $151.2 million, seven weeks. 6. “A Man Called Otto” dropped two places, $4.2 million, in 3,407 theaters, $53 million, six weeks. 7. “M3GAN” dropped two places, $3.8 million, 2,835 theaters, $87.6 million, five weeks. 8. “Missing” dropped two places, $3.7 million in 2,565 theaters, $23 million, three weeks. 9. “The Chosen Season 3 Finale,” opening, $3.6 million in 1,979 theaters. 10. “Pathaan” dropped seven places, $2.6 million in 683 theaters, $14.2 million, two weeks. 30. “EO,” $39,689 in 63 theaters, $890,654, 12 weeks.

Movie box office information from Box Office Mojo as of Feb. 5 is subject to change.

Unreel,

Feb. 6:

“Facing the Laughter: Minnie Pearl,”

No MPAA rating: Barbara J. Hall directs the documentary film about the country music comedienne. Those interviewed include Reba McEntire, Dwight Yoakam, Amy Grant and Garth Brooks.

Unreel,

Feb. 10:

”Magic Mike’s Last Dance,”

R: Steven Soderbergh directs Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek in the Comedy Drama. Mike dances his way to London in the sequel to “Magic Mike” XXL” (2015) and “Magic Mike” (2012).

“Seriously Red,”

R: Gracie Otto directs Krew Boylan, Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale in the Comedy Drama Musical. A Realtor starts a new career as a Dolly Parton impersonator performer.

“She Came From the Woods,”

No MPAA rating: Erik Bloomquist directs Cara Buono and Clare Foley in the Horror Comedy film. It’s 1987 and counselors at a summer camp unleash a monster.

Five Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes