When a brave black cat’s world is turned upside down after a massive flood, everything feels uncertain. Fortunately, when the feline teams up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog navigating a boat in search of dry land, the eclectic group relies on their unlikely friendships and a mix of courage, trust, and wits to survive in their newly aquatic world.
Flow is a new feature-length animated movie directed by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis, co-written by Zilbalodis and producer Matīss Kaža. Focusing entirely on the animals’ movements, dramatic angles, and emphatic lighting effects, the film entirely foregoes dialogue for stirring music and emotive meows, barks, and purrs.
Notable for being rendered entirely in open-source software Blender, a tool used for making 3D graphics that has historically been employed for video game design, Flow taps into the possibilities of world-building. Critics liken the dreamy settings to an open-world video game, which as opposed to play that’s more structured or linear, encourages exploration and the joy of discovery.
Flow uses non-photorealistic imagery—also known as NPR, a computer graphics technique for expressing the aesthetics of other mediums, such as painting or drawing—to create otherworldly landscapes and interactions. Merging fantastical elements with accurate animal movements, the film strikes a remarkable balance between the real and the unreal.
Flow was selected to premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Film Festival in May, and it also screened at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it won three awards. Whet your appetite with the trailer, and see the film in select theaters now.
