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1[[quoteright:249:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/untitled_5_2.png]]
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3->''"Everyone who sees this film will be absolutely astonished (...) because this film is really the world in an hour and a half."''
4-->-- '''Creator/JeanLucGodard'''
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6''Au Hasard Balthazar'' ("Balthazar, at Random") is a 1966 film directed by Creator/RobertBresson. The film follows a donkey named Balthazar from birth to death. Balthazar starts off enjoying an idyllic childhood belonging to a farmer and his daughter, but, over the years, he passes from owner to owner, experiencing cruelty and abuse.
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8The film is probably Bresson's most famous and was voted the 16th greatest film of all time in the 2012 ''Sight and Sound'' Poll. Many critics regard it as the greatest film to feature an animal as the main character.
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12!! Tropes:
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14* TheAlcoholic: Arnold, one of Balthazar's owners, is this.
15* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Marie is attracted to Gerard who mistreats both her and Balthazar.
16* ChekhovsGun: The gun Gerard hands to Arnold is earlier seen in his room.
17* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Subverted. As children Marie and Jacques vow to marry each other, but, as adults, Marie is more attracted to Gerard.
18* CrapsackWorld: The people in the village range from weak to cruel.
19* DownerEnding: After getting assaulted by Gerard, Marie is sent off somewhere and her father dies shortly after. Then Gerard tries to use Balthazar for smuggling, resulting in the donkey getting shot and dying the next day. Gerard [[KarmaHoudini doesn't pay for his crimes]].
20* DullSurprise: Bresson forbade his actors from showing any emotion as part of his SignatureStyle.
21* TheEnd: The movie ends on a "Fin" TitleCard.
22* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Gerard and his friends are introduced pouring oil on a road so that cars driving on it will slide off and crash.
23* FanDisservice: After Gerard and his gang have lured Marie to the derelict house, there is a lingering shot of her huddled naked on the floor, weeping.
24* TheGentlemanOrTheScoundrel: Marie has two love interests. There's Jacques, the well-educated and kind childhood friend, and Gerard, an outright criminal who's abusive to Marie.
25* GilliganCut: Arnold vows to himself to never touch alcohol again. Cut to him having a drink at a bar.
26* HelplessObserverProtagonist: Balthazar is the viewpoint character and is stuck in the role of observer since he's an animal that can't communicate with the humans, who drive the story, around him.
27* HonorBeforeReason: Marie's father loses everything because of his false sense of pride in court.
28* {{Jerkass}}: Gerard and his friends are all extremely cruel.
29* KickTheDog: Too many examples to list, often with Balthazar as the victim.
30* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Gerald's friends kick Arnold while he is lying on the ground.
31* MatureAnimalStory: A donkey is the protagonist, but the movie is a very pessimistic tale where both the animal and his kind owner are abused by everyone around them, culminating in a very sad ending. It's likely to either upset or bore children.
32* PlayfulPursuit: Gerard chases Marie around the donkey at one point.
33* ShamefulStrip: Gerard and his friends do this to Marie. They also beat her and lock her in a building.
34* SlidingScaleOfAnimalCast: There are plenty of humans, but Balthazar is the true protagonist.
35* TheSociopath: Gerard shows no redeeming traits at all.
36* SweetieGraffiti: Late in the movie, Marie refers to Jacques's carved LoveDoodles on the bench when they were kids.
37* TimeCompressionMontage: A montage showing Balthazar growing up to an adult donkey.
38* UntranslatedTitle: At least in English-speaking territories, the title remains ''Au Hasard Balthazar''. It translates into "Balthazar at random".
39* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: At one point Gerard goes ballistic at a party and starts breaking stuff and flipping tables. The people around him just carry on dancing, looking completely uninterested (both in what Gerard is doing and the dancing).
40* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: What the mother asks of Marie regarding her feelings for Gerald.

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