Donkey Days

Venue

The Museum of Modern Art, The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2

Address

11 West 53 Street, New York, NY

Date and Time

Sunday, April 19, 5:30 p.m.

Duration

107 minutes

Artists, Performers, and Collaborators

• Director: Rosanne Pel
• Cast: Hildegard Schmahl (as Ines), Jil Krammer (as Anna), Susanne Wolff (as Charlotte)

Activity Description

"Donkey Days" is a 2025 US premiere film from the Netherlands/Germany, directed by Rosanne Pel. The film explores the strained relationship between adult sisters Anna and Charlotte, driven apart by their strong-willed and manipulative mother, Ines. Anna feels judged for her weight, while Charlotte is polished and cold. Festering family wounds come to a head when Ines delivers a final curveball, the meaning of which is revealed late in the film.

Shot in Hamburg with a German cast, the cinematography features a Dogme 95–esque handheld camera and pictorial 16mm, hinting at the subtle savagery of Thomas Vinterberg's family sagas and the cutting barbs of Kristoffer Borgli's domestic satires. The narrative includes unresolved surrealist flourishes and explores the daughters' issues around food, with meals filmed with an uncomfortable intimacy. This film is Pel's follow-up to her award-winning 2018 debut, "Light as Feathers."

The screening will be followed by a conversation with director Rosanne Pel.

Language

German, English with English subtitles