- March 21st 2025
- 85
- Gints Zilbalodis
Flow follows a cat and a bunch of animals who team up to survive after they’re caught in a devastating flood.
There was no better underdog story this awards season than Flow. The independent film from Latvia went up against studio releases like Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot and took home the Best Animated Film Oscar.
The dialogue-free adventure follows a solitary black cat as it becomes caught up in a devastating flood. As the water level rises, the feline jumps onto a boat commandeered by a capybara.
They are soon joined by more animals with distinctively different personalities – there’s the energetic and boisterous Golden Retriever, a lemur who is very possessive of its belongings, and a mysterious large bird – and they are competing for space and resources.
The cat prefers to live alone and the crowded boat is not ideal, but it has to learn how to get along with the others in order for them all to survive the environmental crisis.
This is a simple but poignant film that tells a universal and relevant message about overcoming differences and working together.
The animals don’t get on at first – the boat is not big enough for all of them and their personalities don’t gel – but they come to realise that they’ll get more food and resources if they team up and trust each other.
Our characters may not speak but you know exactly what they’re thinking thanks to the wonderful animation, which brings each animal’s behaviours and movements to life accurately, albeit with some heightened facial expressions to convey emotion.
The visual style, which was created in free 3D modelling software Blender, may not work for everyone as its unique look is a hybrid of traditional animation and video game styles.
Because there is no dialogue and you’re following this cat on its fight for survival, it feels like you’re watching a video game at times.
Despite this, you’ll be hard-pressed not to fall in love with these animated creatures (particularly the cat and capybara) and how they help each other out.
Their story tells a wonderful message about working as a team that feels important and relevant in these divided times.
In cinemas from Friday 21st March.
By Hannah Wales.
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