Change can happen as rapidly as the catch of a fish to the turn of a tidal wave. Life can swiftly flip from moment to moment like a moving picture, and the sense of feeling lost can feel suffocating. “Flow” is a story that doesn’t need the human language to convey these emotions; it shows the heart and spirit of another language spoken only through barks, meows, howls and chirps.
Following an unlikely band of animals that are brought together by a communal search for safety and purpose after a massive flood wipes the face of the Earth, these animals embark on a journey while left with nothing but just enough to survive as a result of their teamwork and adaptability. Cat, a solitary creature who lived in a previously abandoned artisan’s home, joins a capybara, stray dog, lemur, and a secretarybird on a boat in an attempt to stay above the rising waters. As the animals begin to understand and adapt to their new environment, they are forced to face the ever-shifting terrain that clearly holds little empathy for their lives. The film is filled with chaotic and perilous scenes that are made even more so by the animals’ lack of ability to speak to us verbally, which leaves viewers on the edge of their seats, struggling to predict what might happen next. As the animals explore their new world further, Cat makes emotional discoveries and connections, such as learning to swim to catch fish, that are communicated masterfully to the audience, expressing joy and sorrow without speaking a single human word.
Storytelling has evolved to become more diverse and experimental as the industry in creating media has grown. Authors, directors, screenwriters, actors and collective peers are constantly pushing the boundaries of what can be said, heard, shown and retold to the world. Gints Zilbalodis, the director of “Flow,” has a lot of experience in the realm of creating films that have a strong reliance on visual communication. “Away”, released in 2019, followed the journey of a boy and bird and received relatively positive reviews, garnering a rating of 100% from Rotten Tomatoes alike the film.
“Flow” wasn’t lacking in any awards or positive reviews itself, either. Awarded two Oscar Academy Awards, “Best Animated Feature” and “Best International Feature” as of 2025, Zilbalodis’s work remains some of the most beautifully recognized animated work of the past decade. Especially when up against larger companies and ongoing popular feature series within the industry, “Flow” was not only a win for fans of animal centered stories but also for smaller creators as well. As a trophy of the country’s first Oscar nominations and awards, a statue of Cat is sitting on the capitol city sign of Rīga in front of the Freedom Monument in Latvia.
Something that stuck with me from the movie was that many of the animals’ efforts, while strong and determined, often aren’t as well thought out as they might have been had the film centered on humans or allowed for verbal discussion. Many of the characters’ first interactions are driven by greed and they act only in the favor of their own survival. This quality, of acting in the moment without regard to future consequences, is something that I find to be lost in similar films that place the characters constantly at risk. This quality of being small-minded, imperfect and animal-like, is something that was essential to the power and feeling of “Flow” and stuck with me days after the credits rolled.
Through these acts of “selfishness” and “rambunctiousness,” however, the characters we follow are met with new experiences and moments within their lives that they likely wouldn’t have ever learned about without encountering the flood or one another.
As lighthearted as most animal tales can be, the feeling of fear and grief often gripped my chest as I watched this during a few of the most emotional scenes. Food is scarce, and the other animals fight for control while facing storms, boat wreckages and dangerous situations. Although these narratives are open to younger audiences, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the element of scary or sad events is to be left out. It’s often a way to teach the audience a lesson, as Cat’s story reflects in an incredible way. By creating memorable and harmonious scenes–such as the moment when the secretary bird, who had been steering the boat loyally, took flight to another world above, disappearing from the story and our line of sight for the rest of the movie – “Flow” is able to pull the audience’s soul into the movie by mirroring the same grief, fearful and drifted-away emotions that the animals feel.
In life, we often view our world through an individual lens. We focus on what we, as individuals, want to accomplish, and we push our emotions for ourselves and others behind us in favor of what we can achieve. “Flow” encourages us to consider that it’s okay to feel. It’s okay to make a few mistakes along the way. It’s okay to lose sight of what could happen next. It’s okay to pause and lend a helping hand to others. Maybe we need to make those mistakes, feel those emotions and face those storms to get to our final destination.
