Movie review: 'Flow'

Flow is about a black cat who lives alone, and then one day, it doesn't anymore. Because one day water came, too much water, and all the land was flooded. The cat ran away from the water, but it couldn't run forever, so it went to live on a boat with a friendly capybara. Together, the cat and the capybara followed the water, which flowed towards a giant pillar in the sky. It seemed like this would be the last dry land in all the world. Along the way, the capybara and the cat met a lemur, a dog and a secretary bird. Did they become friends? Probably.

There is no dialogue in this movie. Nobody explains anything to each other, for the convenience of the audience, because all the characters are animals, and they only say cat things like "meow" and dog things like "woof woof" and capybara things. If man could talk the animals, perhaps they would only find out that these animals don't really know what's happening either. Where did the water come from? Where did all the humans go? This is a world that has passed on.

The animals deal with their strange existence differently. The cat was happy alone, and has to get used to sharing such tight quarters with strangers. The capybara sleeps a lot, but seems more or less friendly. The dog is kind of an idiot, in that way dogs are, but it means well. It was once part of a pack that chased the cat around, when the world was drier. The lemur collects artifacts from the old world of the humans, and especially prizes a mirror. It keeps its collection in a basket, and is very protective of it. The secretary bird was nice to the cat one time, and for this was exiled from the bird tribe, and a broken wing keeps it from flying. It steers the boat. Sometimes, when it gets angry, the capybara has to steer instead. The capybara is not as good at it.

There is something in the water. It is not a whale, at least, not like any whale that lives in our world. It lives in the water, yet it breathes air, like a whale, but it is still not quite a whale. Its appearance is frightening, yet it is very helpful to the animals on the boat. Whenever they seem to be in the worst trouble, it appears.

The animals mostly go along with the currents of the water, which seem to be leading them towards a giant pillar that juts upward, far into the sky. It seems like it might be the last bit of dry land in the entire world. The animals do find other islands in the stream, but it isn't long before the water slowly yet surely swallows them up, and they must return to the boat.

The cat learns how to fish, and even shares some of his fish with the other animals. Not the capybara, though. The capybara found some bananas, which it also shares with the lemur. The lemur gets both fish and bananas. There are advantages to being an omnivore. And that is how the animals eat on the boat, because of course some of you were wondering.

So the story meanders along, and eventually, the animals in the boat get closer and closer to the giant pillar in the sky. The boat continues on, and when the boat's rudder is broken, the individual animals must make a choice. The cat, especially, must decide whether it wants to go on alone.

The movie begins with the cat looking at its own reflection in the water. It only sees itself. The animated style of the movie is in some ways very realistic. You will not mistake a picture of the cat for a photograph of a real cat, but the world and the water that covers it looks real. The camera flows around the animals for long, luxurious stretches, letting scenes play out slowly but surely. It is a very beautiful movie to look at.

But what's it all about? Well, that I cannot tell you. It is best to experience it for yourself. What I can tell you is that Flow is directed by Gints Zilbalodis, it premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un certain regard, and it has been chosen as the Latvian entry for the 2024 Academy Award for Best International Feature. I can also tell you it is very good.