By Julia Kelm
Flow was directed by Latvian filmmaker, Gints Zilbalodis, and was first released theatrically in France on Oct. 30 of 2024.
The film follows a nameless black cat as it is displaced by a great flood destroying their home. The cat finds refuge on a boat with various other animals and together they must navigate the challenges of their rapidly changing world.
It was great to have the opportunity to watch this film from the comfort of Arcata’s Minor Theater. It’s been a small dream of mine to sip a beer at the movies, and the pale ale I had did not disappoint.
Moving on from the theater itself, I want to mention how beautifully animated this film was. I thought maybe some sort of motion capture was used for the animals due to their very believable movement. However, Zilbalodis is paraphrased in Slant Magazine talking about how the film was animated. “It’s all animated by hand; we didn’t record any motion capture. Because it’s so specific, we needed to build everything frame by frame.”
The natural environment of the film was also stunning and very pleasing to look at. I could definitely imagine myself taking cat naps in some of those beautiful locations.
The art style and vibe of the film, to me, was very cartoony and full of life. I would say it’s reminiscent of the adventure video game Little Kitty, Big City, also released in 2024.
Having the viewer’s perspective of the world seen through the eyes of a cat, brings you down to earth. Reconnecting with the things we all need to live. Food, shelter, companionship—something that we can all relate to even.
When it comes to the plot of this film, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s amazing how attached I became to the animals without a single word being spoken throughout the entirety of the movie.
The cat has this especially sad meow it does whenever it’s in danger or afraid, and it really got to me, because I have a cat that looks just like the one here. I teared up on more than one separate occasion during the duration of the film—to say I was stressing any time this cat was in danger is putting it lightly.
I think the lack of dialogue in this film was an excellent choice — that’s a huge achievement for a film in its own right. I think there is a slight stigma associated with silent films, with some assuming that a movie without speaking characters would be boring. Flow completely tilts that perspective by creating a film that anyone from anywhere can understand.
This film also presents a majorly important message to the audience about the dangers of increasing climate change in our world. With the themes of the fragility of nature, and how we need to work together to get through uncertain and scary times.
If we place ourselves in the paws of these animals, maybe we can learn from them in terms of stewardship of our planet.
Julia is a journalism major at Cal Poly Humboldt. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. To quote Robin Williams in her all-time favorite movie, Dead Poets Society, “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”