Flow

A menagerie adrift on a boat must work together to survive a catastrophic flood in this animated wonder arriving from Cannes Un Certain Regard.

In the wake of human extinction and a catastrophic worldwide flood of biblical proportions, a quick-witted black cat makes a life-saving leap onto a drifting ship that’s inhabited by a capybara. They soon pick up a lemur, a stork and a labrador, and encounter a marauding flock of birds. Thrown into an environment in flux, navigating both treacherous floodwaters and dwindling resources, these very different creatures need to find a way to trust one another in order to survive.

To create his feature debut Away, Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis effectively worked as a one-person animation studio: he wrote, directed, animated and composed music for this affecting, visually striking wordless film, which saw him garner acclaim the world over. His follow-up – another striking animated allegory without dialogue – sees Zilbalodis set hand-drawn characters in photorealist landscapes and employ inventive and free-flowing camerawork reminiscent of Terrence Malick. Offering an inspiring corrective to the sickly cute anthropomorphism that pervades mainstream animation and a poignant parable for our climate-catastrophe times, Flow showcases an ascendant master hitting his stride.

“Enchanting … There’s something about the purity of great animated storytelling that can shatter your heart and then make it whole again. Flow is that kind of marvel.” – Hollywood Reporter