85 min
8.3
2024
Latvia
A solitary cat, displaced by a great flood, finds refuge on a boat with various species and must navigate the challenges of adapting to a transformed world together.
Overview
Reviews
Manuel São Bento wrote:FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/flow-review-a-dialogue-free-tale-that-speaks-volumes/
"Flow is a celebration of resilience and collective spirit in times of adversity, as well as a potent reminder of the consequences of human actions on the environment.
With its immersive animation, emotional music, and unique narrative approach, Gints Zilbalodis invites viewers of all ages and backgrounds to reflect on the ability to adapt and unite - not just among species, but within society itself.
It's a testament to the profound, universal messages that can reside in the simplest of stories, inspiring empathy, respect, and awareness of the fragility and beauty of nature."
Rating: B+
Pontus Kjällman wrote:Yes, this film is largely a visual treat but what more do we get here? A fairy tale about different spices getting along – except for with fishes of course, who are merely colorful props who conveniently don't scream. But this fairy tale has little to do with reality, as seen in Europe during the last decade – even if its crude message probably is largely why this film has been received so positively.
Or maybe we are supposed to learn something about global warming? We know about that already but few change their lives much and this film won't change that.
So we are left with what is reminiscent of a PC game walkthrough video on Youtube. We can appreciate all the work that has gone into it but in the end it is a shallow experience.
Brent Marchant wrote:Sometimes the simplest yet most profound messages we can receive come from the unlikeliest of sources. So it is with the second animated feature from writer-director Gints Zilbalodis, a stunningly beautiful, inspiringly insightful odyssey about a band of animals seeking to find their way and survive in a new world. When a great flood essentially destroys the world of man, a wide-eyed black cat must figure out how to get by when this consuming deluge wipes out the existence he has known, armed with only his own wits and the cooperation of fellow animal kindreds, including a capybara, a meerkat, a secretary bird and a pack of dogs, most notably a yellow Labrador retriever. Together this band of different creatures navigates the waters of this new world in an abandoned sailboat, learning how to work together to support one another and to stay alive, surmounting an array of challenges along the way. In the process, they collectively learn valuable life lessons that we as humans can all stand to follow, especially when confronted with circumstances not unlike those that we all must contend with in a world on the edge, conditions to which most of us can probably relate these days. The answers that these creatures come up with are often patently obvious, but the film thoughtfully prompts us to ask ourselves that, if these simple solutions are so readily apparent, why aren’t we doing more ourselves to embrace them in addressing our own current challenges? That’s a very good question and one of the greatest strengths of this widely acclaimed release. This dialogue-free offering, whose only sounds come from the authentic utterances of its animal protagonists and its emotive background score, features exquisite animation in its depiction of a world in transition, one showing the remnants of what’s been left behind and the emergence of what’s coming into being. While the narrative takes a little time to initially find its footing and is occasionally episodic as it unfolds, the various incidents it portrays as the story plays out are instructive, touching, meaningful and spot on in conveying the picture’s myriad insights, crafted in a way that shows more than tells and successfully avoids the temptation to spoon-feed audiences. “Flow” may be animated, but it’s by no means a cartoon, an accomplishment to which more films in this genre should attempt to aspire. This Golden Globe Award winner and Oscar nominee for best animated feature is a true gem, one from which we could all stand to learn a lot – and, one would hope, before we’re faced with circumstances like these ourselves.
CinemaSerf wrote:After a fairly scary start with a group of growling dogs, our usually quite sedentary cat makes it’s way back to a comfortable bed just in time for an inundation to flood his surrounding forest dwelling. There is no sign of any human being anywhere, but a small boat floats by manned by a coypu. The cat hops aboard and after an initial spat, the host settles back to sleep and they continue to drift aimlessly along what appear to be brand new waterways, meeting an host of fellow creatures along the way. Some appear friendly, others less so with many of them dispossessed of their usual habitats and others rather thriving in their new aquatic environment. Initials suspicions and reticence starts to morph into something more friendly and the animals convey a message that better together might be their route to survival. Sometimes those choices cause conflict, or require leaps of faith and that is the message that is delivered quite effectively as their amiable escapades unfold. I didn’t find the animation that spectacular, but when married together with some intricately designed audio we are presented with a charming and quite potent tale of what makes them and, vicariously, us tick amidst a changing and beautifully imagined forest that also elicits an appreciation of a sense of change, vivacity, collaboration and of nature. It’s simply told, celebratory and enjoyable to watch.
