Spoilers · the ending
Au Hasard Balthazar: the ending, explained
Robert Bresson · 1966
This page gives the ending away. Not seen the film yet? Its spoiler-free guide is here.
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Spoilers · the ending
Robert Bresson · 1966
This page gives the ending away. Not seen the film yet? Its spoiler-free guide is here.
What happens
Balthazar, forced into smuggling, is shot by customs officers in the mountains at night. He walks on into the morning, lies down among a flock of sheep, and dies quietly. Nobody is there to see it.
The last image
Balthazar lies dying among the sheep in the morning light, in the mountains.
What it says
The ending gives the donkey's long suffering no reward, only a quiet death among gentle animals. Bresson refuses to preach: the people around Balthazar never noticed his goodness, and it is left to you to see it.