“Flow”, an animal survivalist film with a very polished visual

In official competition at the Annecy International Film Festival, “Flow” won the Jury Prize and the Audience Prize, thus establishing itself as the most awarded feature film of this 62nd edition. The film was also presented at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard category.

In 2019, Gints Zilbalodis impressed the world of animation by presenting his first feature film at the Annecy Festival Elsewhere, winner of the Contrechamp Prize. For good reason: the young Latvian filmmaker had made the film alone, his computer as his only companion.

Five years later, the director returns to the Festival with Flow. Presented in official competition, the film this time required the work of a large team and stands out with a unique visual, a hybridization between animation and video game cinematics.

Flow is a film at the height of animals. The main character is a black cat who sleeps in an abandoned house and spends his days, between hunting and grooming, in lush nature. Around him, dogs, rabbits, deer. His existence is disrupted by a sudden rise in water which gradually engulfs all the land in his environment. To survive, he boards a boat in which there is already a capybara. They are quickly joined by a very playful labrador, a kleptomaniac lemur and a heron rejected by his family.

The plot of this survivalist feature film readily takes up the biblical story of the flood. A rising water level, a boat as the only chance of survival… The original material is there, but the difference, from the start of the story, is evident.

If human constructions are still present and offer magnificent three-dimensional settings, men seem to be completely absent from the world of Flow. No help from Noah then and no need for it. Animals organize their survival on their own.

As a result of this animal kingdom, the film contains no dialogue. If the character of the cat undeniably touches the spectators, its characterization is very far from the traditional felines of the world of animation, particularly Japanese animation. All the animals in the film behave exactly like animals. The cat meows, gets scared, the dog barks, wriggles. Their movements, the sounds they produce create a rare hyper-realism which surprises and allows you to project yourself entirely into this apocalypse story.

Film built around a cataclysm, the scenario of Flow, particularly via the total absence of humans, suggests that floods are only the result of long-term climatic disasters. Without ever showing the causes – the film follows the animals’ journey solely through their eyes –, Gints Zilbalodis sets a specific background for contemporary concerns, responding to them by leaving nature in the hands of species that are domesticated or little considered by humanity.

More than showing that life can be done without men, Flow explores the possibility of animal solidarity. The feature film impresses with its technique, but also moves. Without a word, the director reports on the evolution of relationships between species. Benevolence and mutual aid are established, differences are no longer used to impose themselves but for the benefit of the collective. A crucial lesson in living together.

Gender : Animation
Director : Of Gints Zilbalodis
Country : Belgium, France, Latvia
Duration : 1h25
Exit : October 30, 2024
Distribution : UFO Distribution