By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
If any animated film could dethrone “The Wild Robot” for Best Animated Feature of the year, it’s this one. “Flow” is a visually unique animation with the rare trait of not having a single line of spoken dialogue. The story is told through action, providing an absorbing ride of survival in a post-apocalyptic world and appears like a water color painting come to life.
Where foliage has blanketed the land and human presence is but a mere memory, cat spends its days wandering about alone, curiously investigating the interactions of other animals. Cat’s routine is upended when a catastrophic flood buries everything under water, putting it in pure survival mode. Finding refuge on a tattered boat with a sleepy capybara, cat drifts aimlessly along the currents. Along the way, they pick up more stranded animals like a hoarding lemur, a yellow labrador, and a secretary bird. Despite their vast differences, they must find a way to band together to survive the environmental disaster.
This is the second feature length animated film from Latvian writer/director Gints Zilbalodis, his first being “Away” in 2019. Unlike many animated movies featuring animals as the focal point of the story, Gints uses no vocal cast whatsoever to voice the animals. In fact, there’s not a single spoken line of dialogue throughout, rather utilizing the actual animal sounds of each represented animal. The only animal sound that didn’t work for the personality of the character was the capybara, so he used the sounds from a baby camel instead. This allows the story to be told visually, and Gints successfully conveys each animal’s personality and intentions in an obvious manner to avoid viewer misinterpretation.
Using the free software Blender, the animation is distinctive, detailed, and experimental, creating memorable visuals that capture the imagination. There’s almost a dreamlike quality to the 3D animation with Gints mimicking camera movement and implementing terrific sound effects that truly bring the audience into this world. He even incorporates some symbolism for life and death that resonates with young and older viewers alike. Yes, there are some fantasy elements people who prefer realism may have issues with, but it’s almost reminiscent of “Life of Pi,” which was the best film of 2012.
Already nominated for a Golden Globe, this will undoubtedly be a top contender for an Academy Award in the category of Best Animated Feature. It could even be a contender in the Best International Feature Film category, representing Latvia. “Flow” is an imaginative, visually stunning animation that uses imagery and sound to captivate your senses. With marketing being almost non-existent, this mesmerizing movie won’t stay in theaters very long, so don’t let this one float by you.
This movie earns:
