Flow

There have been a plethora of animated films during this calendar year, i.e. "Inside Out 2", "Moana 2", "Hitpig", "Piece by Piece", "The Wild Robot", "Transformers One", "The Garfield Movie", "Kung Fu Panda 4", and even films like "If" where there is part animation--the list is amazing. But, besides maybe "The Wild Robot", the cream of the crop this year for animation is that of "Flow".

The world seems to be coming to an end, teeming with the vestiges of human presence. Cat is a solitary animal, but as his home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences. In the lonesome boat sailing through mystical overflowed landscapes, they navigate the challenges and dangers of adapting to this 'new world'.

This was directed with incredible pathos and compassion by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zibalodis ("Away" '19) plus shorts. Even though this filmmaker has only one feature film to his credit, he has a plethora of shorts under his belt as well, that assuredly served him well in the direction he took with this film. His sequencing, staging and pacing were second to none. After this film, he will be involved in more work. It was creatively and wonderfully written by Matiss Kaza ("Raganu Menesis" '12, "My Family Tree" '13, "One Ticket Please" '17, "The Wanderers" '20, "Kind un mes" '20, "Wild East" '21, "The Taste of Water" '22, "Neon Spring" '22) plus shorts and Gints Zibalodis ("Away" '19) plus shorts. I believe that what makes this film stand out above most other animated films is that there is no dialogue, however this film speaks volumes, and that is a monumental task in and of itself, another aspect of this film as a standout is that not only was there any dialogue, but even the sounds of the animals were actually real sounds of a cat, lemur, dog, etc that were recorded prior and then edited into the principal photography in post production. There was no cast at all. This film was cohesive, concise and simply was amazingly captivating for the 86 minute running time. The cinematography, visuals and music absolutely made this film that much more captivating.

If you're into the genre of animation, this is definitely the film for the ardent film aficionado. This film and "The Wild Robot" are probably the best in animation this year, if not in general. This film is stunning on more than one level. The message to this film is one we can all learn from--when we are put in a situation with others that we don't find likable, somehow we must be able to work together for the sake of survival and to become a people that can love others whether we're in a difficult situation or not...just like these animals in this remarkable film!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                        Rated: PG                                               86mins.