Gints Zilbalodis‘ Flow is a breathtaking achievement—a beautiful, thoughtfully compelling account of perception through the perspective of animals. The whole time, as I was watching, my constant thought was I wish I could make my cats watch this.
In many ways, Flow is an odyssey of sorts—a journey that’s full of all kinds of experiences. Like The Wild Robot, which was also released this year, the animated film explores perception through a gorgeously reflective lens that affectionately demands viewers pay careful attention. While there’s no dialogue (at least not what we humans can process), it’s still highly expressive in everything it shows.
The film follows a group of animals on a voyage as they go from mere strangers to perhaps a found family at the end. As they catch reflections of themselves through water or mirrors, their self-perception leaps off the screen and onto us. It takes us toward a path that investigates different forms of existence and how they later mesh together to protect and maybe even love. Often, films about the animal world examine our own human flaws as they explore the natural instincts that drive different creatures apart. Yet, the heart in Flow is unmistakable.
It isn’t an accident that the story follows a black cat because the superstitions are still, unfortunately, alive and well. However, anyone who’s ever had a black cat will say that they’re perhaps the ones with the most awe-inspiring energy. It’s the orange ones you have to look out for. (I say this with immense love as my eldest cat is an orange tabby, and let me tell you, no one in our house has a bigger attitude. Love you to the moon, Peggy.) But perception is both a beautiful and a tragic thing because where does it come from and how does it change? How does it evolve and become something bigger amid trying times where survival is the number one priority? Why are some cats and dogs conditioned to hate each other? How is a bird the most terrifying creature at times? As the movie quietly questions this, it screams through powerful themes to note how we simply keep going—how we try to understand one another.
Additionally, the animation and sounds that mimic every animal’s language sing throughout the short timeframe to show us that everything happening is by virtue of a deeper understanding—an enlightenment that occurs when we look at our own reflection and try to understand where we fall into the equation. Who are we, first of all, and how does that play a role in what we contribute to the vastness of the world?
Flow answers these questions as best as it can in a genuinely gorgeous film that’ll speak to every animal lover. It’s thoughtful, carefully and stylistically drawn to create something that feels both real and utterly whimsical. It hits right from the beginning and doesn’t let it go until the very end. And there’s no doubt about the fact that the silence makes the film ten times more powerful as it allows our own minds to fill the gaps and imagine the conversations the animals could he having through their barks, squeaks, and meows.
Flow is now playing in select theaters.
First Featured Image | Official Poster Credit: ©UFO Distribution