⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2 (out of 5)
Latvian filmmaker and animator Gints Zilbalodis is a self-confessed loner. Having begun his career by making short films as concepts for longer stories, Zilbalodis has always worked alone. As a director, writer, animator, composer, editor and more, teamwork was a foreign concept. Until his latest film, Flow, an expansion of his previously released proof-of-concept short, Aqua, in 2012. For Flow, Zilbalodis had to learn how to work in a team of animators, producers and other filmmakers, and that beautifully mirrors the themes of teamwork found within his latest work.
Set in a vivid and fluid 3D animated nature landscape that feels prehistoric and post-apocalyptic, we follow a black cat, afraid of water and suspicious of others. When a flood of biblical proportions commences, the cat struggles to get to higher ground until eventually boarding a vessel with a capybara, lemur, stork, and dog to survive. What follows is a powerfully simple tale of unity over uniformity and teamwork in a stunningly animated and dynamic world.
A picture says a thousand words, and Flow is a phenomenally animated film - free of dialogue and yet rich with story. With such a beautiful world that draws visual inspiration from various sources, Zilbalodis presents a world where the audience can fill in the blanks and import their ideas. Yet, the central story is still captivating and entrancing. From giant cat statues of unknown origin, abandoned cabins, temples, and other marks of civilisation to boats and ships left adrift. The film feels both prehistoric and post-apocalyptic. There’s also a deep poeticism, spiritualism, and naturism imbued into the film and with breathtaking visuals, you can’t help but be immersed.
Adding such realistic animal renderings from movements to mannerisms helps the film feel so lived in. Yet, entertaining cartoony character aspects give the film enlivened energy. The cavalcade of feathered and furry friends work together better than one might expect and slowly grow attached to each other. They each get individual arcs, void of words, but communicated with just body language. If you are a cat person – this film is for you. If you are a dog person – this film is for you! If you are a capybara person – this film is definitely for you! It is one of the very best animated films in recent memory, and audiences should be excited to see more from this director in the future.
Reel Dialogue: The power of teamwork
Flow features a group of animals – a cat, a dog, a lemur, a stork and a capybara – who all find themselves aboard a boat adrift in a flooding world. It’s an image reminiscent of Noah’s Ark – animals from all over the world brought together because of a flood of Biblical proportions. Despite being very different and mostly lacking opposable thumbs, the animals become a crew that works together to get to safety.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?”
It’s a great tribute to the power of teamwork and setting aside differences to achieve a greater goal that benefits everybody. The Bible is full of exhortations to value unity and teamwork. It says teamwork is like a body – made of different parts – but all working together. Those who join God’s family by following His Son, Jesus, are added to a body of believers who work together. It’s a profound unity that helps believers navigate life's challenges and not have to go it alone. Have you ever explored joining the body of believers and receiving this gift of community?
