“Flow,” directed, written, and produced by Gints Zilbalodis, with co-producer Matīss Kažais, is an animated film that focuses on visual storytelling, music, and emotion. What’s different about this movie is that there is no spoken dialogue whatsoever. This decision lets viewers observe and care about each moment with deeper meaning. This year, the film won the Oscar for “Best Animated Feature” at the Academy Awards.
Flow ‘s story is set in a lively, post-apocalyptic world. Then, one day, a sudden flood submerges the land, leading to danger. A cat, dog, capybara, lemur, and bird find themselves together on a boat, struggling to survive in this situation. As each of them does what they can to stay alive, their instincts and needs begin to take over and cause problems on this small, tense boat.
The animals’ reactions to survival, I’d say, were realistic, along with their body and facial expressions. However, sometimes, moments did feel unrealistic. At one point, the cat figured out how to move the boat, which I don’t think made sense. The animation is particularly interesting; it was mostly created using Blender, a software free to anyone. This choice of app is not only different, but shows that expensive tools aren’t always needed to create something great. It highlights the film’s creative and independent style. Regarding the look of the animation style, the environment is detailed, while the animals have a smooth texture to them. It would make more sense if the characters had more detail appearance-wise since they are the primary focus.
Towards the middle to end of the movie, the spark started to die out, and it wasn’t as good as when it started. When it began, I was invested. The first flooding, the boat. But I just couldn’t help but lose focus overtime, and I think it was almost like there wasn’t much to care about anymore. Especially towards the ending, I wasn’t really sure what was even happening. This doesn’t mean it was a bad film, but rather that it lost some of its momentum from the beginning toward the end.
The absence of humans also ties into the theme. Animals of different species on a boat have to depend on themselves and sometimes on each other. The movie ends on a happy note with a theme of unity and friendship. I appreciate the journey.
All together, Flow is an original, creative film. While it may not be one that I revisit on my own, I wouldn’t mind watching it again. I’d give Flow three out of five stars.
If you have movie suggestions or anything else related, email me at [email protected]
