The star of the movie Flow is a solitary black or dark gray cat. It’s a feline in an animated feature, but it isn’t a cartoon cat, so it speaks only to mew and doesn’t walk on its hind legs. It sleeps on a human bed in a house surrounded by cat sculptures.
Humans must have existed at some point, but none appear in this film. Whatever happened to this world is getting worse, as the cat has to run to higher ground to stay above the flooding.
Eventually, a boat floats by and soon holds a lemur, a capybara, a heron, and the cat. How do these nonanthropomorphized creatures communicate enough to work together to survive? They must find a safe space. Oh, and there is a pack of dogs nearby.
Director Gints Zibalodis from Latvia co-wrote the script with Matiss Kaza, co-wrote the engaging music with Rihards Zalupe, and is listed as the movie’s editor, cinematographer, and art director. I particularly loved the painted aspect of the creature, especially the primary canine.
Future?
Even more than The Wild Robot, which I also liked, Flow is a credible futuristic tale. The reviews were almost universally positive, 97% with the critics and 98% with the audiences. One reviewer wrote: Flow is a spirited and wild film experience that must be experienced and appreciated for the ground-breaking, profound feat of excellence that it is. This writer was moved, engaged, and enthralled by its scope, beauty, and heart. An inspiring ode to wildlife and its resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.”
A friend of my wife said it was a meditative film, which I can relate to. We saw Flow at the Spectrum Theatre in Albany at a mid-January matinee. Thee were only six of us there, and two left when they realized they were in the wrong theater.
