Donkey - Tribeca Film Festival and Award-Winning Short Film

[@PeBoVision]

Sorry that it took 7 years for this to come up under my recommendations. A truly beautiful piece of work. Kudos to all involved.

[@blurredacuity4017]

This has nothing to do with revenge or jealousy as some of the below comments suggest. The core subject is "bullying" and how the protagonist Banker realises he's a "donkey" for teasing Stanley as he was intellectually slower than the other kids. Stanley had been his friend as they were growing up in their primary school years. He used Stanley's "ee or" line to make new friends at Stanley's expense, later in high school. The Banker learns when they meet in their adult life, that Stanley is actually normal - an honest working man, with a beautiful wife, but also an articulate man who likes to read and paint. Stanley's "ee or" at the end was too much shame for the Banker to emotionally digest, hence why he couldn't smile. He was disgusted at himself. I felt deeply sad for the main character as he walked off with his finger brushing against the fence, absorbing perspective, as he does on his morning walks. It's a brilliant movie, filled with interesting compositions and juxtaposing images to narratives, which added strong emotional sense of the protagonist's life. This whole picture is meticulously and sartorially crafted.

[@rogerspreston6479]

Blurred Acuity

[@Jccyphers1]

Beautiful analysis! But have you truly never heard of Eeyore? The donkey from the winnie the pooh series?

[@cr5104]

@@Jccyphers1 No, never heard of this. Is that another perspective of the film which Blurred Acuity has not mentioned yet? I hope I will find the series on youtube, to fill my knowledge gap (although I'm no native speaker, so maybe I will not get the argument). Anyway thank you for the hint.

[@memitaylor4323]

I agree, the Banker walked away with nothing, all he had was his watch & money. Stanley had peace, but remembered how his childhood friend, betrayed him, turned on him. Yet he still had an open hand & heart for him. The better man! The Banker, the JackAss!

[@readyforknowing3009]

Well said 👍🏾

[@thomashankelbjerg72]

Two souls, one are superficial and hollow, the other a survivor of a hard world. It's a mirror of us and our lifes.

[@southphillylilly]

Superficial and hollow is also often created by surviving a cruel world

[@breadandcircus1]

It took 9 years for me to spot this. What a magnificent film! Masterfully acted, an intelligent, hearty script. Human nature at its best

[@JayPenrake]

Very few people can get a VO to work as well as this. Beautiful piece.

[@sharminsultana6894]

।ণŇ!.

[@MegaDroidDude]

The epitome of privilege. Good looking, a woman who proposed to him, chose banking as a profession, and used his “friends”, even when he was little he was probably laughing at Stanley rather than with him. For someone who was gifted so much, how little he grew as a human being. And for someone with far lesser means, the character and humanity he gained. That’s the stuff of life. The measure of a man.

[@jimduncan5860]

...and why this short film worked so wonderfully well.

[@kimikovic]

Actually, the sad part is that when they were little he was not laughing at him. He loved his friend. Time and social situations change us, and often much is lost.

[@blimjones]

Such a great comment. It is definitely the reality depiction from the short film.

[@southphillylilly]

The material abundance in which he was raised, wax most likely a substitute for genuine connection and love. As we know, that creates it own hardship.

[@resurrectionist1]

I LOVED this short film. Wonderfully made all around. Also loved the theme of the proverbial "Donkey". I read that in a lot of the comments people are saying that its about bullying. I think its less so about the bullying and more about the actions of people. The narrator talks about his success and how he used the story of Stanley's donkey impression to make himself popular. What really strikes is that this short film tapped into such a basic human truth that people are essentially asses (another word for Donkey) who want to just make money and do whatever it takes to be popular. This is brilliantly captured in the scene where the Narrator shows Stanley his watch and repeatedly says he is rich. He is acting like a complete Donkey whereas Stanley doesn't care about the success or money. Really puts a mirror to society. A great film by a bunch of really talented people. Well deserving of all the mentioned accolades.

[@KeirBurrows]

Hey Vedant, thanks for he kind words and thanks for enjoying the film!

[@nhiarslain2422]

Well said!

[@beepbopboop7727]

My take - a man who has just broken up with his fiancè is now contemplating his life, and his sense of meaning within it. He has a good job, is moving up in life bit has become pensive recently, thinking about his life, his memories, his past actions. He thinks of an old school friend Stanley, who he was once close to, but since middle school diverted from. He used to laugh with him, until it became more socially beneficial to laugh *at* him. Now they stand in two very different places. His revere for a simple life, where family, kindness, art and reading are what brings him contentment, is a stark contrast to his life of money and expensive watches. Tbh, next to Stanley's life, his looks empty. He looks back at the decisions he made that got him to where he is now, and how this word "donkey" was pivotal in that. He realises he judged Stanley wrongly when he was younger. Themes of class, bullying, meaning, nostalgia (school, playgrounds, parks), retrospection, guilt and change. We see that Stanley has gone through three different stages in life; an boisterous child, a bullied middle schooler, a content adult. The narrator too has been through changes; again, a boisterous kid, a casual bully, a corporate highfler. We see that the narrators way of navigating life by stepping over people to get ahead started with Stanley. We wonder if he will evolve again by the end of the film. When Stanley says "Eyore", you wonder whether he's referring to the times the protagonist used to make fun of him, or they times they bonded over making animal noises.

[@elizabeths4371]

The best thing about this film is that the narrator recognizes his part in exploiting his less gifted childhood friend Stanley ( the donkey) ; something he deeply regrets especially since Stanley has found both peace and love whilst he the clever, stronger and successful one, has neither. Now the narrator begins each day with quiet time for personal reflection along with a change in his life's perspective : which means there's a restored Hope for this man.

[@KeirBurrows]

Hi Elizabeth - I'm Keir, I wrote and directed this, and you have summarised the point of the piece perfectly!! It's the quiet time at the beginning that most people miss, that he has recoginised in himself a way to try find peace. Thanks for watching!!

[@elizabeths4371]

@@KeirBurrows Hi Keir and Thanks for responding! This was Definitely a Pleasure to watch, in fact I've already watched it several times more. I find it quite thought provoking especially when thinking about my own shortcomings.

[@vulpinemusings]

Poignant. It really got me at the end.

[@jenniferpoole6119]

I was sceptical of the monologue at first but this really won me round. Great cinematography too.

[@donparkinson60]

Still one of my favorite short films.

[@a21613]

It's the broken him that makes him say 'Who's the donkey now?' but unfortunately his guilt still overpowered the happiness of meeting an old friend. Humans realize only when they hit a low in life.

[@sushilafilmspvtltd4461]

Loved it.

[@bobb9649]

What an absolute perfect short film. A must-watch for any film student, and actually, anyone in general.

[@BoxOfficeGold]

Beautiful film. The cinematography was excellent, and the story was compelling. Keep up the good work Mr. Burrows, cinema needs storytellers like you. Cheers.

[@martindeleon9863]

a man who has everything, but has nothing...

[@mercygrrl]

Or the man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing

[@bradleydavids7258]

I skimmed through a few other videos that were boring but this one gripped me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@KalidadContent]

I would be so scared to make an entire film black and white, takes guts, but u pulled it off perfectly!

[@annabjergechristensen3304]

We had to see this short film, so we could do some assignments in our englishclass. Normally I'm not a fan of short film, but this one is incredible!!! The girl from Denmark

[@KeirBurrows]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tjkoker]

Outstanding acting and cinematography. Well done mate. Cheers.

[@rayprincevii]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@santoshtheboss94]

Simple cinematography accompanied by awesome dialogues made the short interesting and increased the 'want to know what's next' feel. Interlaced humor, good BGM and acting made the advantages. Easily became one of the best short films i've seen till date. I feel the film is to show that money isn't everything in life.

[@LalaHemingway3000]

I absolutely loved this film. It's used as a example for a grad level screenwriting course I'm taking, and I think it's a perfect example of touching, beautiful short-story telling at it's best. Congrats!

[@KeirBurrows]

Hey Gina - thanks for the comment! I'm really intrigued, where /what course it's being used on? Very happy that it is of course!

[@LalaHemingway3000]

+Keir Burrows - Dr. Claudia Johnson teaches at a few universities, but I'm working on my MA in English with Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire Univ via their online option. Dr. Johnson is pretty heavy-duty and really knows her stuff. For her to use your material as an example for something as significant as character arc development, it MUST be good. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Brought me to tears. Truly. Thanks so much for expressing your creative vision!

[@Est-rz7ig]

Very unassuming title, but choose one of many superlatives and you're on the right track. Brilliantly done Keir Burrows.

[@SummonthePhoenix]

Well done! Cinematography was excellent as well as the dialogue. This should be shown in all grade levels and maybe even in workplaces. What I got out of it was that when you are the one who does the teasing and ridiculing, that there is an inner weakness and possibly jealousy of others and that need to "weaken" someone else. When you find out that that person took it all in stride then it was you who had been the donkey all along.

[@AnthonyMiyazaki]

Brilliant, from concept to execution.

[@JAJones-oo9dp]

Great job. Very powerful ending.

[@dipsonly4u]

Just fantastic. Amazing. Too Good. Great Job.

[@patriciagriffin1505]

Good character development for such a short film lovely

[@HannaMagdalena]

Great story. I also liked the narrator, I don't often feel positive about narrator voices, but here, in this movie, it was awesome.

[@schuylerdalenberg3438]

the perfect length. Excellent film

[@adamb8674]

Needed to do this for a school project, but ended up surprisingly insightful.

[@McSqueak10]

What a superb film. I loved the depth of the script. I really admired the acting and directing too, because it's very difficult job when no one is actually talking to the camera for real. Well done.

[@alanpelz]

Loved it! Near perfect short film.

[@battlebrothers896]

Well done, Keir! Awesome use of VO, and an even better introspective into the importance of human interaction in the moment, and taking into account the feelings of all the people you affect. It's amazing how "success" can be defined in so many ways. Thanks for giving me perspective today.

[@cliveuckfield5139]

Awesome message, awesome film.

[@RajeshMaallah]

That was something that'd make my day better

[@gooddayswithmohanbilaye]

I am watching this again for the best cinematography, do you!.

[@xBriTTzz]

I love how this is so simple yet so complicated. As indicated in the comments people really can't understand the meaning behind it, it's great!

[@Stephen-rw8ov]

+JB Media Yes. Good point. Simple on the surface. But like the roots of a clump of grass, complex and unexpected. In fact, brilliant!

[@miniaturepictures4333]

fantastic B&W short film

[@melnampung]

this is amazing :') I can't stop watching it

[@sanjibanhati8783]

now here is the fulfillment of the film. I could hardly understand the accent, and no subtitle was there. Still I kept myself stuck to it. And at the end, I made it out from the successive scenes which are shown. I absolutely loved it. Simple, still so special, so elegant - touching indeed. Please do upload such good works. Thank you :-)

[@kb4190]

very deep and moving film so much hidden meaning

[@aaroha10]

beautiful.

[@RCRfilmstv]

beautiful film

[@kaihansen11]

I would love to understand the London-Accent better. than I did. But I liked to combination of pictured mood and narrative, which maybe came to a Self-awareness moment - and ongoing connectivity to every single experience in our lives.

[@kimsutherin7565]

Simply said....powerfully.

[@Black__Tiger]

"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" = EQUALS = "Who's the Donkey now...?" Hee-Haw...!

[@gregmacdonald3559]

Powerful, well done! ❤️

[@sankarsanyal4432]

Very good film.

[@beepbopboop7727]

I don't think he said "Eyore" vindictively.

[@JoHawke]

This is beautiful and understated, very elegantly done. I only wish it didn't have the F word in it, so I could feel good showing it to my high-school English students.

[@MrBiswas123]

exactly

[@thomasbanks1254]

Actually, a school normally allows it, if given consent from parents (like a waiver to sign) My school makes us signs waivers to allow us watch higher than PG rated movies

[@JoHawke]

I appreciate your responses. I have no doubt that my school would allow it, @John Stultz, especially if I had parents sign consent forms as @Nyancat Lover suggests. However, I'm not sure that I feel comfortable sharing it with my students, regardless. Notice that I didn't say I wouldn't. I regularly teach novels with language (To Kill a Mockinbird, Fahrenheit 451, Of Mice and Men, etc.) and use that as a springboard for discussion of expression and motivation. It's possible. The word does flow with the narrative, used in a high-conflict place and doesn't seem out of place. After watching it again, I'm more of the opinion that the overall message of the film may be worth the extra finessing of instruction concerning the word.

[@cr5104]

@@JoHawke Did you show it in the meantime and how went it for yourself and the students in your class? Greetings from someone who liked Mice and Men and Fahrenheit 451 (more the film), but never was able to finish Kill a Mockingbird ...

[@qasim097]

WOW. Now that's a short!

[@rebeccamason4869]

Such a brilliant film, I shed a tear on my morning commute.

[@Petergonzalezcomedy]

Masterful filmmaking.

[@emjaybee2799]

It goes by so fast,then one day you look back ,and think of all the things you missed,that were right in front of you.Valuable things that could have been long lasting investments in friendship.Value your friends more than your lovers.Treat all fairly.Friends more so.

[@dinisdinisdinis]

This is wonderful.

[@sinimannerfoto5389]

Beautiful.

[@sunittaraman2473]

Beautiful 👏👏👏

[@JanMadhyam]

simply brilliant...

[@boluw]

This is mad fresh!!!, i just wish i could fully grasp it, i feel as though the message flew over my head, could somebody explain it?

[@MyMs1979]

Loved it 9/10

[@akmal7524]

Amazing, touching!!

[@petershiroku]

brilliant short!

[@skgoode75]

What a amazing short film 🎥 is called donkey thank you for sharing this amazing short film 🎥 on your KZbin channel keeping up with the great work sending me more of your amazing short films 🎥 on my KZbin channel have a safe evening and have a safe weekend 😀 😊 👍 😄

[@gumpe-t3f]

no

[@sonutab7391]

Loved it. 👍

[@STUDIOAMOL]

Nice Piece of work ... cheers

[@kenlally9133]

Brilliant..bravo!

[@yessicaspindola]

Love it!

[@sanathpawar883]

this was beautiful!

[@PointOne7even]

Really good ! Well done!

[@gumpe-t3f]

absolutely not

[@PointOne7even]

What I Love about Films in general is exactly what we are seeing here in the comment stream, everyone has a differing view and experience of it. Thats how it should be. Not everyone will like a particular film, but it may have great appeal to others. Again that's how it should be. We as filmmakers should cast a wide net when it comes to producing and directing films from a variety of films subjects. There is always a constant struggle with commerce versus art and most filmmakers are in it to make a good film and not worried about the commercial appeal or success. I think if you love, hate or are indifferent about this film, one things for sure....it is well made, acted, shot, edited and produced and you can see the effort made by the Director. It is a very well made film. I love a bold film maker. I look forward to seeing what else Kier comes up with. I do love this film! Jx

[@saysomestuff]

Beautiful

[@jdnunn1585]

poetry

[@lilyrose189]

Wow amazing !

[@bombdiggity8179]

Love it! Awesome video! Can't wait to watch what else you guys come out with.

[@jbpenguin]

Brilliant.

[@varunaitharaju9499]

I must say, this to me is a genuine inspiration. I'm a student freshly out of the London Film Academy, Its so hard to find a short film story. This movie is so inspiring. Any tips on coming up with good stories, Keir? Amazing work mate. Just amazing. Hope you reply.

[@KeirBurrows]

hey! thanks a lot for watching! hope you enjoyed some of the other shorts as well, tho donkey is my favourite. Tips-wise, I dunno. Tell a story with layers? Where the character learns something about themselves, but try do it in an interesting way, without serving the 'learning' up in a cheap way. Good luck! LFA is a good school!

[@gabrielamendoza3294]

an incredibly rewarding experience

[@KeirBurrows]

Thank you so much for watching, and more than that, glad you found it rewarding.

[@gregburacker4976]

Great Job!

[@thomasadg1144]

Great job

[@samtem77]

great work

[@jaisatu1901]

very nice.. i liked it.

[@ellykelly4965]

love this

[@АлекандрДоронин]

Ок

[@jonathanbennett4233]

Donkeys are stubbornly self-preserving, not easily moved. "Successful" people sometimes arrive there through narcissism, and are unable to know what to do with themselves when shown themselves, since they have never stood up to challenging critique. A donkey wouldn't have need to mock another animal, and wouldn't have staged that episode as a mockery because it is content with itself without having to put down the next person.

[@willem1212]

This is a really brilliant short film. Probably the best I've ever seen. Can you please explain how you got the idea?

[@mortalclown3812]

Bravo.

[@tomgun2000]

Fantastic

[@TERRAMOUNT]

pretty sweet!

[@luismesquita3902]

Hello, great work btw. can someone tell me the name of the soundtrack ? thanks in advance!! :)

[@yatoyato836]

0:18 0:34 1:41 3:15 3:51 3:56 4:07 4:23

[@Zoliang]

Man, this is amazing! You are brilliant, what you did here is brilliant, it is a great honor to see such a deep and well thought idea like this.

[@mrwolf750]

When I was a child I had a friend like Stanley , he was constantly bullied and harassed by the other children. Now he is on death row.

[@s1234pro]

I'm so sorry.

[@Rjknight65]

So.... Beautiful T_T

[@prevotjeremie]

Genius

[@misbahmalik3932]

This is beautiful! What camera/lens did you use?

[@KeirBurrows]

Hey - it was just a Canon 5D mk 2 and the standard lens in comes with, think 24-105mm? Then just desaturated in final cut and that's it. Easiest thing I've ever done ha!

[@pv175]

Envious or jealous. I can’t make up my mind.

[@RickSolo92]

Beautiful peace what camera did they use to shoot this

[@ashnicov7436]

i love all ur videos, keir

[@firashaidar2116]

Loved this. Seriously, great job. I'll soon be working on my own short movie and this will be a lot of help. You have any upcoming projects we can look forward to?