Themes

“Donkey” is an interesting film that can be interpreted differently with every viewing. The main theme appears to be bullying, but, at a closer look, we also discover the theme of friendship and changing relationships. 

Bullying

Generally, by bullying we understand the use of force or threat, to intimidate, or aggressively dominate others. The behaviour is often repeated and habitual. 

In this case, Stanley is bullied by his childhood friend and by others who perceive him to be slow-minded. He is called names like “donkey” and laughed at. Note that, though cruel, Dave’s bullying of Stanley was influenced by things like his popularity and image in high school.

Friendship

After analysing key moments of the film, we can see that the start is the beginning of a great friendship; the middle is the fall of that friendship due to the harsh nature of teenagers; the end is a tale of revenge and forgiveness.

In this part, we have discussed the central themes in the short film, bullying and friendship. We can say that “Donkey” is one of those films that makes you question bullying. Apart from that, it is also a reflection on the development of friendships. ...