‘Flow’ Review: Latvia's Oscar Hopeful Is One of the Most Purely Cinematic Experiences of the Year
Courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films
Flow is bookended by scenes of its central protagonist–– a nameless black cat with yellow eyes–– peering into its reflection with the great wide world mirrored behind. These dual images speak deeply to the film's overall impression, which functions in many ways as a work that invites self-introspection for our place in the world and its relationship with those around us, a profound concept deceptively hidden within an animal adventure tale that chronicles the story of the aforementioned cat and a motley crew of other critters who find their lives interconnected after a tremendous flood leaves them stranded together on a rickety boat. Directed, co-written, co-produced, and co-composed by the multi-hyphenate Latvian talent Gints Zilbalodis (Away, 2019), Flow exists as a cinematic rarity: balancing never-before-seen animated renditions of the natural world with a heartwarming yet simplistic narrative that flaunts the rare ability to communicate with every type of movie-lover from all corners of the globe, without a single word of dialogue.
Set in an undisclosed era and location mysteriously empty of humans, Flow begins its sweeping journey with the leading feline, who (like most of its kind) spends its time in solitude, scheming for fish, napping in the sun, and loathing the rowdy pack of dogs who inconveniences its reality at every turn. Seemingly out of the blue, the cat hears a faint rumble in the distance and sees flocks of birds and herds of deer fleeing the noise, which descends upon the diminutive ebony creature in an almighty rush of water, a great flood that transforms the lush forests into an endless ocean. Mortal panic fills the cat, but just as the water threatens to swallow it up, safety appears in the form of a run-down wooden ship. The cat is surprised to find a languid capybara already aboard and is shortly joined by a greedy lemur, a stoic spectral grey bird, and, of course, one of the pesky dogs from the film's first moments. Navigating this vast waterscape together, which varies from placid to perilous, the bizarre grouping must come together as a unit to ensure their ultimate survival.
Courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films
Flow merges cutting-edge 3D animation with a handcrafted quality to create the movie's singular atmosphere, one of its stand-out qualities. Glowing, post-apocalyptic sunsets are reflected on a never-ending sea of crystal-clear water, with jewel-toned fish swimming just below its surface. Verdant forests flaunt their leafy abundance moments before being swept away by tidal waves. Through his detailed vision, Zilbalodis has an unmistakable understanding and appreciation for the natural world, building immersive scenes that feel like homages to Miyazaki flicks or the stunning video game Horizon Forbidden West. His penchant for exploring the medium of animation allows the director to fly through the air, descend into the sea, and explore earthly elements with a liberation that live-action filmmaking could never achieve.
In contrast with these intricate depictions of the wilderness, Flow approaches its animal characters with a rougher, hand-drawn design, which somehow allows for a deeper focus on their individual behaviors and personalities. Through the sounds they make and their meticulous movements, the film honors the various species stuck together on the boat with an authenticity rarely found in animated films with non-human characters, where they are often anthropomorphized in a way that Flow firmly detours. This genuine portrayal of their actual qualities brings the creatures closer to the viewer, making them more loveable in the manner that humans frankly appreciate animals for being so pure to their nature and far removed from our own.
Courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films
During its festival rounds, Zilbalodis has been forthright about how Flow was inspired by his own evolution as a filmmaker. His last movie, Away, was entirely the director's creation from start to finish. But realizing he needed to collaborate with other creatives to elevate his craft, he built a team to bring Flow's ethereal vision to life. While Zilbalodis took charge of constructing the framework of the film's dynamic score, which works with exuberance to support Flow's emotional arc in the absence of dialogue, he turned to Latvian composer Rihards Zalupe to fine-tune its details. Similarly, Zilbalodis worked with a crew of animators in Belgium, France, and Latvia to assemble the movie's dazzling 3D animation, which was entirely created using Blender, a free animation software. This acceptance of others into Zilbalodis' process is clearly reflected through the perspective of Flow's feline hero, who begins its journey as an isolated creature by choice, gradually coming to comprehend its link to everything in the surrounding world as the film moves along.
Beyond this sense of Flow as a work intertwined with its director's creative process, so many other convincing ideas can be projected onto it, depending on the viewer's frame of thinking, which opens the movie up to a much larger audience in thrilling ways. Just because humankind is absent from this watery world does not mean their influence is not perceived. We see the cat wriggling through the broken window of an empty forest cottage, where sketches and woodworking tools eerily lie abandoned on a desk. Did they belong to the cat's owner? Monumental feline statues fill the vistas beyond this cabin before rising waters overtake them. Then, later on, the boat carrying the creatures passes through an archaic city of astonishing proportions, all pointing to the one-time existence of humans. The Anthropocene automatically comes to mind in this flooded place devoid of humans, with inklings knitted throughout that indicate this is not the first time these waters have rampaged the black cat's life. One of Flow's most breathtaking moments even nods to divine intervention as a powerful presence on this altered earth, one that corresponds with the animals floating on its surface.
Flow possesses uniquely transcendent elements that have brought the film much success and many fans since premiering in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. A charming and entertaining animal adventure allegory enveloped in an unparallelled animated vision of creative genius, Flow is one of the must-see movies of 2024, with the unusual ability to resonate with all forms of spectator through its vibrant concept and charismatic animal heroes. In times like these, with so much widespread polarity and unrest around the globe, the movie's touching sentiments for collaboration and cooperation feel more relevant than ever.
5/5
2024 | 85 minutes | Color | No Dialogue | PG
‘Flow’ begins its North American release on Friday, November 22, with distribution handled by Sideshow and Janus Films. The film will also represent Latvia in the race for Best International Feature at the upcoming 97th Academy Awards. Click here to find showtimes for ‘Flow’ near you.