Flow is an animated revelation that has no equals. Here is a movie that is 85 minutes long and is told solely through visuals and no dialogue. Every frame is painstakingly crafted to give us a sense of wonder and imagination in a way that live-action movies enviously aspire to achieve.
The movie has already won top honors at the European Film Awards, the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, and the National Board of Review.
Now, it can add one more honor: For me, it’s the best animated movie I’ve seen so far this year.
Flow is powerful and profound in its simplistic premise. It deals with a black cat that gets chased by a series of dogs until a tsunami wipes out everything in their paths. The cat manages to find an ally in the form of a Labrador Retriever and his canine companions as they find shelter on a boat.
As they make their way downstream, they encounter other animals who join them on their quest for survival: They meet a lemur, a capybara, and a Secretary bird. The animals must work together to constantly stay one step ahead of the potential dangers that lie ahead.
The movie contains many astonishing images, such as a city submerged underwater and a series of gigantic cat statues. The level of detail involved in creating these images adds to the atmosphere and has a dramatic narrative purpose.
Every frame of Flow exudes sensational fluidity. The camera follows the animals’ actions in a way that feels natural and creative and always has something to behold. Our reactions to the imagery are the same as those of the animals themselves: There’s a hypnotic curiosity and even dread as the animals navigate their way to safety, and we’re right there in the middle of the journey with them.
As mentioned, it contains zero dialogue minus the sounds that the animals make. Whenever the cat meows, it’s the sound of a real cat. Whenever the dog barks, it’s the sound of a real dog. This is another example of how writer/director Zints Gilbalodis keeps this epic odyssey grounded in a measure of reality.
There are moments of humor and sadness that feel genuine just by facial expressions alone. Steven Spielberg once told Gene Siskel about a theory involving creatures: He said you relate to their eyes. That’s ubiquitously captured throughout Flow.
The movie is so rich and thorough that it could be shown in IMAX. It should be required viewing for anyone who wants to pursue a career as an animator and bring something engrossing to life from the first frame to the last. Flow is a mesmerizing, mystifying experience.
Grade: A
(Rated PG for peril and thematic elements.)
