Au Hasard Balthazar

This religious fable from director Robert Bresson traces the lives of a farm girl, Marie, and her beloved pet donkey, Balthazar. The two eventually become separated, but their experiences follow strangely parallel paths. As a young woman, Marie is cruelly abused by her lover, while Balthazar suffers at the hands of a number of different owners. But their torment ultimately becomes the vehicle for their spiritual transcendence and redemption.