LATVIA / BELGIUM / FRANCE · 2024 · PG
Q&A with Director Gints Zilbalodis!
In the aftermath of a cataclysmic flood, a courageous little cat finds refuge aboard a drifting ship, joining a ragtag gang of animal pals—a capybara, a lemur, a stork, and a golden retriever—each as vulnerable and displaced as the next. Together these diverse creatures have to overcome their differences, learning to trust and adapt in an uncertain and waterlogged world.
Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis’ enthusiastically received second feature is a striking allegory that speaks straight to the heart of both living in community, and our climate-conscious times. Told entirely without dialogue, Flow emphasizes brilliantly observed animal behavior to offer a compelling story of survival, connection, and hope. Gints’ crisp minimalist digital approach creates photorealist environments for his distinctive abstracted characters, guiding them, and us, through imagined places with free-flowing camerawork. With lush and ethereal depictions of land, sea, and sky, Flow evokes the majestic grandeur of a natural world altered by human absence, creating a breathtaking and mysterious immersive big-screen experience. First landing at Cannes Un Certain Regard, then sweeping through Annecy collecting both audience and jury awards, and now gathering accolades around the globe, Flow is a gripping ride and an affecting parable—the inventive vision of an emergent animation artist taking the world by storm.
