Flow

Flow, the new animated film from Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis, is a cell shaded treat of wonders both visual and aural. A fantastical tale told without dialogue, the film follows a cat, and its eventual compatriots, as they make their way through a landscape that has been altered-and is still being altered-by a mysterious flood. It is not unfair, or a disparagement, to compare this to video games such as Stray, or open-world games, like Breath of the Wild. It is also not far from this year’s terrific The Wild Robot, or Pixar’s wonderful Wall-E.

Courtesy Janus Films

Like those films, this one is as much or more about the storytelling visuals than anything else, and like those, the film is perhaps stronger for not relying on dialogue. This is a film children might enjoy but it will appeal mainly to older kids and adults, because the themes that emerge are told in a way in which experience is needed to decode. There are the surface themes of belonging, sacrifice, friendship, community and yet beneath them are deeper concerns. Ones about losing and discovering identity, about memories and life and death. Perhaps, even, about cycles of birth and death, of the tides of fate and the “magic” of the unknown. Above all, however, there is a strong message of love and hope.

Cell-shading is an interesting style to tell this story in, and it may take some getting used to, but eventually, you will find yourself not even thinking about it because the design work, particularly the care with which each character is rendered and the story they become involved in, will grab you and not let go. This is not an action adventure, but it is stirring and emotional. It is about growth, such as when a capybara teaches a cat to swim and fish, or when a secretary bird stands up to its flock and pays a sad, serious price. Dogs, lemurs, whales and more make up the rest of the “cast” of this unusual, delightful work. It is a film that should not work, and yet it does, magnificently.

Courtesy Janus FIlms

This is a movie that does indeed, recall certain games, like those mentioned above, but also games like Abzu, Riven or Myst, in that you get a sense of exploring places that do not quite make sense, and which you sometimes wonder at whether or not they are supposed to be real. In this way, there is a dream logic to the film which works beautifully alongside the themes on display. It may seem cruel to compare a film to a game, given the reputation games have for being shallow, but this is not the intent here. Indeed, the mood of the titles referred to is one that those familiar with them will certainly understand, and it is one where you will bring quite a bit of yourself to the proceedings, and fill in the blanks. As with much of art, part of the pleasure is what your individual self brings to the experience.

Courtesy Janus Films

This is a film which takes its time to unfold but is not slow, and which is strongest in small moments of enormous emotional impact. It is a film that carefully builds each sequence, and they are relatively long sequences, in order to draw the viewer into the heightening narrative. You will grasp, by paying close attention, what the true story is about. That this is done with wonderful lighting design, because of the choice of cell shading, helps. It is a film that will require you to think differently, to watch it differently, like The Red Balloon, or the comic book, The Age Of Reptiles. In each case, a monumental, unlikely journey, without words, becomes a thrilling, endearing work of art.

Flow is now playing in select theaters and expands into more locations this Friday.