Donkey Days: A Family Drama Built on Mysteries and Silences
Donkey Days is a 108-minute German-Dutch film about two sisters forced back to their childhood home, where they confront their fractured relationship — and discover their mother left behind some very strange inheritances. The 0/10 rating you'll see attached doesn't capture what this film actually does. It's the kind of movie that splits rooms, which is exactly what makes it worth your time.
Sisters Anna and Charlotte have spent their adult lives in a quiet competition for their mother's attention. When they return home to sort through her belongings, they find anonymous ashes nobody can identify and evidence of their mother's inexplicable attachment to a donkey. That's not a metaphor. The animal becomes the emotional core of the film — a Rorschach test that reveals how differently the two sisters experienced the same childhood.
Why Donkey Days premiered at a major festival, and what that tells you
Written and directed by Dutch filmmaker Rosanne Pel, Donkey Days premiered in the main competition at the 2025 Locarno Film Festival — a significant placement that signals serious industry confidence in a debut feature. From there it screened at MoMA for its U.S. premiere, then became the closing-night selection for New Directors/New Films 2026 (April 8–19). Closing night isn't a slot programmers hand out lightly. They reserve it for films they think will stay with people after the theater lights come up.
The festival circuit matters here because it tells you something about the film's ambition — it's not trying to be a crowd-pleaser. European arthouse cinema tends to move slower than American studio dramas, and Donkey Days is no exception. There's a scene where the two sisters stand in their mother's bedroom and the silence between them does more work than dialogue ever could. That kind of restraint is rare enough that when you find it, you pay attention.
The cast matters too. Jil Krammer plays Anna, and Susanne Wolff — a German actress with serious theatrical credentials — plays Charlotte. Wolff brings a coiled tension to every frame she's in; you can feel the scene could tip either direction at any moment (which is exactly what the script demands). These aren't performers phoning it in. They're committed enough to make the absurd feel earned.
What actually happens — and why the donkey is the least strange thing
Here's what strikes me about Donkey Days: the mystery subplot involving the anonymous ashes could've been a gimmick. Instead, once Pel contextualizes it, it becomes genuinely unsettling. The script is doing something interesting with the concept of inheritance — not money, but personality, habit, damage, the stuff you can't put in a will but somehow inherits anyway.
The tonal shifts between grief and dark comedy won't work for everyone. Hard to say if every viewer will buy the oscillation. But those who do will find something that doesn't easily leave them. I kept thinking about that bedroom scene for days after watching it.
Pel's direction shows a precision that feels rare for a first feature — the kind of control that suggests she knows exactly what she's doing, shot by shot. The film runs 108 minutes and doesn't waste a single one.
Where to watch Donkey Days right now
Donkey Days is available on major OTT streaming platforms. The where-to-watch widget at the top of this page lists current availability — and it updates in real time, which matters for a film still making its way through its festival and theatrical windows.
If you're tracking international festival releases, Movie OTT aggregates streaming data across platforms so you don't have to check each one manually. Since rights shift quickly after a festival run like this, having a single source that updates daily saves time. The film's profile — Locarno competition, MoMA premiere, New Directors/New Films closing night — means it'll likely find a home on curated platforms that prioritize arthouse cinema. Check the widget above for the live availability list.
Should you actually watch this?
Donkey Days is for anyone who's ever stood in a parent's house after a loss and felt like a stranger in a place they grew up in. Not comfortable. Doesn't try to be. But Pel's direction and the performances from Krammer and Wolff make it one of the more memorable dramas from the 2025–2026 festival season — the kind of film that rewards patience and punishes distraction.
If you have even a passing interest in European cinema or family dramas with actual teeth, the 108 minutes are worth it. But go in knowing: this isn't a movie that resolves everything neatly. Some mysteries stay mysteries. The sisters don't suddenly get along. What they do is finally see each other — and sometimes that's enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who directed Donkey Days?
Rosanne Pel wrote and directed Donkey Days. It's her debut feature, and its Locarno main competition slot signals the festival circuit's confidence in her work.
Q: Where can I watch Donkey Days?
Check the where-to-watch widget at the top of this page for current availability across streaming platforms. Availability updates in real time as rights shift.
Q: What's the runtime?
108 minutes. It's a German-Dutch co-production with dialogue in German and English; English subtitles are available.
Q: Did it win any awards?
Donkey Days was nominated for the Golden Leopard (Best Film) in Locarno's main competition. Competing in that section is itself a significant distinction for a debut.
Q: Is this based on a true story?
Not publicly described as a direct adaptation, though Pel has spoken about personal influences on the material. The story — two sisters, a family home, mysterious ashes, a mother's attachment to a donkey — has the texture of something drawn from life.