Julien Donkey-Boy

Audience emotional responses are dominated by a sense of anxiety and finding the content disturbing, stemming from the dysfunctional family dynamics, the father's abusive behavior, and the ambiguous, unsettling nature of Julien's actions and perspective. A pervasive feeling of sadness and melancholy underscores the bleak reality of the characters' lives. Despite the unsettling elements, there is significant empathy for Julien due to his schizophrenia and difficult circumstances. The film's subjective and fragmented narrative also elicits considerable confusion and curiosity, while the 'comedy' aspects are likely perceived as very dark or situational humor rather than traditional joy or happiness.