The Reel Review
A cat left all alone after a massive tsunami and catastrophic flood ends up on an adventure with a super friendly Labrador Retriever, a kleptomaniac lemur, a narcoleptic capybara and a majestic secretarybird, in this dialogue-free, animated fantasy film from Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis.
Flow is a truly special visual delight, featuring the most groundbreaking and gorgeous animation in decades. Each scene is like a living, moving painting. The cat’s human, clearly a cat lover (there are sculptures everywhere) is gone. The animals nearly all sound like the actual animals they are portraying, each showing their endearing trademark behaviors – the wide-eyed cat intentionally knocking things off a shelf, the lemur collecting trinkets and sunbathing, the laidback capybara getting along well with everyone, and the dog always eager to make friends. The lack of dialogue frees the viewer to interpret this subtle philosophical tale of working together to survive. Characters come and go. The actions of one affect them all. Self-awareness, illustrated through a hand mirror and reflections in water or a window, sparks compassion for others.
Zilbalodis also wrote the score for his poignant film, which he uses sparingly for dramatic effect. While not for everyone, those with the patience for this unique, thought-provoking experience will be justly rewarded. And in a year with two other, excellent and more mainstream animated films – The Wild Robot and Inside Out 2 – Flow is the one that will stick with you the most long after the credits roll. Don’t miss the scene after the closing credits.
REEL FACTS
• Flow, Latvia’s entry for the 2025 Oscars Best International Film, recently made the Oscar shortlist in that category and is also widely expected to be nominated for Best Animated Feature Film.
• The production team recorded the actual sounds of animals to lend realism to each character. The only exception was the capybara, in which a camel was used because the real capybara’s voice didn’t match the personality of the animal in the film.
• Lemurs truly love sunbathing and capybaras are friendly with all types of animals, even crocodiles.
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