Flow: Film Review
Flow, an independent animation from Latvia, went up against big studio releases like Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot at the Oscars and came out on top! I was absolutely delighted that this comparatively modest film beat the likes of Disney and DreamWorks!
The dialogue-free adventure follows a solitary cat as it is caught up in a flood. Fighting for survival amid the rising tide, the feline jumps onto a capybara’s boat that slowly becomes filled with other animals – a Golden Retriever, a lemur and a mysterious large bird. While the cat prefers to live alone, he has to learn to get along with these different characters to survive the environmental crisis.
This is a simple but lovely tale about the most adorable found family. The animals don’t get on at first – the dog is far too boisterous and the lemur is a diva – and the boat feels crowded with the five of them competing for space and resources. But they eventually learn how to overcome their differences, trust each other and work together to find food and survive. That’s a universal message that should resonate with everybody, particularly in these divided times.
We experience this fantastical world through the cat’s eyes and I came to really love that damn feline. I cared about its journey and I worried about its survival constantly. The animators did a fantastic job of bringing to life each animal’s behaviours and movements accurately. That’s exactly how a cat moves! Obviously, for us to understand their thoughts without words, they occasionally exhibit slightly unrealistic facial expressions (but I think that’s allowed).
I wasn’t the biggest fan of its animation style and it felt a bit like a video game at times, plus there’s a weird fantastical bit towards the end that felt out of place. However, I had a wonderful time watching this cat’s simple but effective journey and came away feeling rather emotional.
It is really difficult for small independent animations to get awards attention alongside the big studio releases so I am thrilled for Flow. The Wild Robot may be my favourite animation this awards season (it was my favourite film of 2024) but I love an underdog story and can’t be mad about it upending this year’s Oscars race.
In cinemas from Friday 21st March
Rating: 4 out of 5.
