Movie Review: 'Flow' is Pure Animated Magic

Flow

Directed by Gints Zilbalodis

Written by Gints Zilbalodis, Matiss Kaza

Starring Animated Animals

Release Date January 10th, 2025

Published January 10th, 2025

Flow is one of the most engrossing and lovely experiences I’ve ever had at a movie theater. This wordless animated feature from Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis and co-writer Matiss Kaza follows the story of a cat lost in the maelstrom of a flood. There are no human beings to be found, just vast amounts of water, boats, rushing waves, and various other animals who become a loose collection of fellow survivors.

Photorealistic backgrounds provide a dreamlike space where these stylized animal characters exist. The world around the main character, a nameless black cat, is realistic in style while we are secretly comforted by the notional magic of animation that none of these furry creatures are being harmed or are capable of harming one another. As we settle into the world we slowly grow comfortable with the lack of words and only the magic of visual storytelling to give us a sense of where we are and what’s happening.

What’s happening is a flood and our main kitty has to learn a lot of hard lessons very quickly. The first is watching as the home he’s had in the forest disappears under the rising waters. He must then learn not to be afraid of the water and to swim. Our cat hero will come upon a boat and through instinct will come to understand that this vessel is capable of floating above the water and thus offers safety and protection from the roiling waters.

It’s impossible not to project emotions onto animals. As much as animals may not have the human ability to communicate, their eyes and manner can say a great deal about their needs and wants. We are still projecting a human understanding onto them but, oftentimes, whether it is being out of food in their bowl or, for dogs, needing to go outside to relieve themselves, we can understand each other and feel a bond to animals as deep as those we have with other human beings.

This is something that the makers of Flow have a deep understanding of. Giving us space to interpret and project understanding upon these characters, draws us even closer to them. Thus when they are imperiled or simply go missing, as some of our supporting animals do, it means something more because, in a way, we’ve given life to these animals. This is unique to the wordless world of Flow as there is simply no place for dialogue to fill in the blanks, the film simply unfolds this gorgeous collection of images, centered on animals that reflect real animals without trying to approximate the actual animal. This combination provides a rich space for our imagination and makes Flow an extraordinarily artful and moving childlike experience.

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