MovieChat Forums > Au hasard Balthazar (1966) Discussion > The silent horrors of abuse and indiffer...

The silent horrors of abuse and indifference

posted 9 years ago by Innsmouth
3 replies | jump to latest

I was taken aback by the power of this movie in the way in portrayed the silent horrors of abuse and indifference that go into animal abuse. We see the donkey beaten, tortured, worked to the ground, mistreated in so many different ways, but there is barely a single scene in which anyone acknowledges that what is going on is wrong. What is more, the donkey, being its nature, does not show much in the way of overt signs of pain or suffering - which is something that has allowed humans to abuse animals since the dawn of time, thinking (though deep down they know its crap) that animals somehow feel less pain and suffering.

But the scenes, the silent frames which look into the donkey's eyes tell a much bigger story than any other dramatization.

Equally as horrific is just how much the human world around the donkey simply does not give a damn. Except for the girl, everyone is at best oblivious, or doesn't care, or is indifferent to how this donkey is being treated. Everyone thinks it doesn't matter, sees its life and existence as disposable.

Mankind is very, very far from the truth.

The most important video you will watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhBWDzkqEPY

[–] musicbymartin 9 years ago

These are insightful views, refreshing to see that someone gets this subtle underplayed film, thanks for sharing.

[–] goodvibe61 9 years ago

By the finish, the nobility you see within Balthasar is one of the great touchstones of the movies. It's a very rough sit, and yet, the ending will leave both broken AND rising.

[–] AtomicReturns (1252) 6 years ago

Well said, OP.

If you're familiar with Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke, he says this is his favorite movie of all time. And a common theme in Haneke's films is abuse, indifference (which deepens psychosis), erosion of communication, and how sinful behavior spreads across social groups and even generations.

In this movie, you see it with Marie, who starts off innocent, but becomes corrupted by the men around her (a harsh father, Gerard and his friends, villagers either indifferent/drunk/predatory). No one cares for Balthazar because, with the encroachment of modernity (cars, motorcycles, tractors), animals are almost seen as an outdated nuisance, and poor Balthazar is treated with impossible cruelty throughout the story, and also taken advantage of and never appreciated.