2024 has given us two animated masterstrokes that capture nature at its most beautiful and perilous. As much as I adore The Wild Robot, I was curious how it might’ve played as a dialogue-free picture. Flow feels like the answer to that question. While one method isn’t necessarily better than the other, Flow is a visual marvel. Chronically a cat’s odyssey across land, air, and especially water, director Gints Zilbalodis delivers a transcendent experience about found family.
The film immerses us in a forest that looks like our world, yet feels mystical. This green paradise is lined with ancient structures that humans more than likely constructed, although they’ve seemingly been abandoned. We never learn where exactly the forest is located or if people still exist in this universe. These questions don’t matter. This is a film where the audience just goes with the flow, letting the journey wash over them.
Among the forest’s animal population is a pack of dogs, a flock of birds, and a herd of deer. A black cat stands alone with no other felines to be found. The cat is content fending for himself… or herself. Its gender is left ambiguous. In any case, the cat finds itself in the same literal boat as several animals when a flood engulfs the land. Initially helmed by a capybara, the ship’s crew grows with a secretarybird, a Labrador, and a lemur seeking refuge. Although none speak, each animal has a distinct personality, the lemur being a curious collector, the bird being a practical navigator, and the Lab being a happy-go-lucky ball of joy even under hazardous circumstances.
The cat, meanwhile, is just looking to survive, initially uncomfortable being surrounded by others. As the voyage progresses, the cat slowly warms up to its fellow travelers, coming to view them as family. Disaster brought them together, but once they traverse these rough waters, what’s next? Will the other animals return to their respective groups, leaving the cat alone again? Or will these species realize that when united, they’re a force greater than nature?
Some will describe Flow as a silent film, which would be inaccurate. The simple yet soothing musical score from Zilbalodis and Rihards Zalupe adds another layer to the ambiance. The sound design is just as integral as the absorbing animation, which was rendered using the software Blender. At times, Flow calls to mind the video game Stray. Not merely because both center on a cat, but because both pack in so much worldbuilding, atmosphere, and vibes through the imagery alone.
Flow also shares parallels to Life of Pi, right down to the presence of a whale. Instead of a fearsome tiger, though, this film’s mascot is a meek black cat. Both stories are about survival, but in different ways. Where Life of Pi deals with isolation at sea, the other is about the necessity of companionship and friendship. Not just during times of crisis, but after the storm passes as well. If cats and dogs can not only co-exist, but form a family, what’s stopping humanity from living in harmony?