Flow (Latvian: Straume) is a 2024 animated adventure film directed by Gints Zilbalodis, written and produced by Zilbalodis and Matīss Kaža. A Latvian, French, and Belgian co-production, it features no dialogue and follows a cat trying to survive along with other animals in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world as the water level dramatically rises.

Production of Flow started in 2019, and lasted five-and-a-half years with the animation done using the free and open-source software Blender. Jacques Tati and Future Boy Conan served as inspirations for the film. No storyboards were used for the production and there are no deleted scenes.

Flow premiered on 22 May 2024 at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, and was released in Latvian theaters on 29 August. It received critical acclaim and broke several Latvian box-office records, becoming the most-viewed film in Latvian theaters in history, including foreign films. At the 97th Academy Awards, Flow won Best Animated Feature and also received a nomination for Best International Feature Film as Latvia's submission, becoming the first film from Latvia to win and receive a nomination at the Academy Awards. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film; the statuette was later put on display at the Latvian National Museum of Art.

Plot

A dark grey[3] cat wanders through a forest. A pack of dogs arrives by the river to catch fish. When two dogs fight over a fish, the cat takes the fish and is immediately chased by the dogs. The cat escapes, but notices a deer stampede before it is caught in a flood. The cat and dogs survive the flood and reach higher ground. A yellow Labrador Retriever follows the cat to its abandoned cabin decorated with wooden cat sculptures. They both notice the water level rising rapidly. The Labrador joins the other dogs on a boat. As the flood consumes the cabin, the cat climbs atop a giant cat statue until the waters reach the top of the statue's head. As the rising water completely submerges the statue, the cat jumps into an approaching sailboat with a capybara aboard.

The next morning, as the boat sails through a partially submerged forest, the cat goes overboard while trying to avoid a white secretarybird, and it begins to sink. A mutated whale saves it from drowning, but another secretarybird seizes it and, during the flight, the cat catches a glimpse of massive stone pillars in the distance. The secretarybird then releases the cat over the boat. Soon after, as the water level continues to rise, the capybara invites a ring-tailed lemur to hop aboard with its basket of trinkets. While sleeping, the cat has a dream where it is being circled by a herd of deer, and looks to the massive stone pillars, before being swept away by a flood; the cat then wakes up. Later that day, the three animals land on shore and are joined by the Labrador. They encounter a flock of secretarybirds that show hostility toward them, causing the cat to run away. The younger secretarybird that first encountered the cat pleads with the leader to spare its life, only to lose in a duel and have its wing injured before the flock abandons it. With a diminished ability to fly, the secretarybird joins the crew.

The crew arrives at a half-submerged city near the base of the massive stone pillars. The Labrador takes the lemur's glass float to the secretarybird, to play fetch. The secretarybird kicks it off the boat. The lemur gets angry and starts fighting with the secretarybird, who is steering the boat. Due to loss of control, the boat's mast is caught in a tree. The whale breaches out of the water, and the waves generated help to free the boat from the tree. After learning from the capybara, the cat improves its ability to swim and catch fish. Later, the crew sees the other dogs stranded in a bell tower, and rescues them.

As the boat sails through the huge stone pillars during a heavy storm, the secretarybird flies away. The cat falls overboard, but swims ashore, and climbs the stairs to the top of a pillar, where it meets the secretarybird in the center of a labyrinth-like carving on the floor. For a short duration, gravity vanishes and a bright portal opens above them. They are both temporarily weightless, but the cat floats back to the ground, while the secretarybird flies toward the light and disappears.

The cat rushes down and tries to swim back to the boat, but it is too far. However, it finds the lemur's glass float, and uses it to stay afloat. The water level drops as suddenly as it had earlier risen as massive fault lines open in the earth, draining the water. While roaming through the forest, the cat finds the lemur. They find the boat hanging on a tree. The dogs jump off the boat, but just as the capybara is about to exit, the tree begins to fracture. The cat climbs the tree and passes the boat's rope to the lemur and dogs, who pull the boat toward them. When a rabbit scampers by, the other dogs abandon the Labrador and its friends. The cat falls, but is caught by the capybara. They both manage to jump off the boat before it falls with the tree into a ravine below. Just as the crew celebrates, another deer stampede occurs. Panicking, the cat assumes another flood is incoming, and flees. It stops, however, when it comes upon the whale, beached in the forest. The cat comforts the whale, looks at the massive stone pillars, and then sees its reflection in a puddle of water, surrounded by its friends.

In a post-credits scene, the whale is seen surfacing on the ocean.

Production

Gints Zilbalodis and Matīss Kaža worked together for the film.

In 2012, Zilbalodis produced Aqua, a short film about a cat overcoming its fear of the ocean. The premise of Aqua served as the basis for Flow.[4] Zilbalodis used Maya to animate his previous works up to his 2019 film Away. That year, he switched to Blender because of the real-time renderer EEVEE.[5][6]

Production started in 2019, and it took Zilbalodis and his production team five-and-a-half years to complete Flow.[5] The film features no dialogue and Zilbalodis stated that he was inspired by Jacques Tati, as well as the anime series Future Boy Conan.[7][8] No storyboards were used and Zilbalodis instead placed the animals into the scene and "explored them with the camera".[9] There are no deleted scenes from the film.[10]

The cat on the splash screen of Blender 4.4

Take Five [fr] and Sacrebleu Productions [fr] joined the production in 2022, and worked on character animation and sound.[5] While Flow was still in development materials from the film were presented at the 2022 Cartoon Movie forum in Bordeaux.[11] The film was produced with financial support from the National Film Centre of Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, ARTE France, Eurimages, RTBF, and the Belgian Tax Shelter. Animation for the film was completed in France and Belgium.[12] It was animated using Blender.[4]

Animals

Capybaras and lemurs were studied at zoos,[13] such as the Izu Shaboten Zoo in Japan.[14] The whale was originally supposed to be based on a real whale, but it was redesigned to look more mythical.[15] Additionally, the secretarybird was originally planned to be a seagull, but was changed because the seagull was too small.[16] The boat used by the main characters was inspired by Mediterranean feluccas.[17]

Seven hours of music was composed by Zilbalodis and 50 minutes of it was used in the film. Sound designer Gurwal Coïc-Gallas used actual animal sounds for each character depicted in the film.[7] Coïc-Gallas's cat, named Miut, served as the voice of the cat.[13] Coïc-Gallas and Zilbalodis felt that the high-pitched and unpleasant sound of an actual capybara being tickled did not properly represent the calm and peaceful capybara in the film. They considered using a moose or llama before they selected the sound of a baby camel instead.[13][18] The sound of a tiger pitched down was used for the whale.[13]

Music

The film's soundtrack was composed by Zilbalodis and Rihards Zaļupe, and was released on streaming media platforms by Milan Records on 1 November 2024.[19][20] The soundtrack and film score were mixed by Mikko Raita.[21][22]

All tracks are written by Gints Zilbalodis and Rihards Zaļupe.

No.TitleLength
1."Home"2:04
2."Dog Chase"1:34
3."Panic"0:59
4."Flood"5:24
5."Capybara"0:48
6."Unexpected Visitor"0:32
7."Lemur"2:07
8."Bananas"1:27
9."Deer Cyclone"1:23
10."Windmill Island"2:11
11."Birds"3:45
12."Outcast"2:26
13."Showing Off"0:59
14."Abandoned City"2:24
15."Splash"1:38
16."Fishing"3:05
17."Storm"2:03
18."Flow Away"4:33
19."Forest Emerging"1:55
20."Amphitheater"1:51
21."Following"3:36
22."Reflection"3:29
23."Acceptance"2:43
Total length:53:51

Release

Flow was selected to premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival on 22 May 2024. It was the first Latvian film shown in that section since The Shoe in 1998.[12] It was shown at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it was awarded the Jury Award, the Audience Award, and the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution in the Feature Film category.[23] Flow was submitted to the 2024 Ottawa International Animation Festival, where it received the Grand Prize for Feature Animation.[24] The film was also screened at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival.[25][26] The film was invited to 'Open Cinema' at the 29th Busan International Film Festival and was screened at the outdoor theater in October 2024.[27] Flow was screened in competition at the 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award.[28]

Flow premiered at the Splendid Palace [lv] cinema in Riga, Latvia, on 28 August 2024 and was released nationwide the following day by Baltic Content Media.[29][30] UFO Distribution released the film theatrically in France on 30 October 2024.[31] It was given a limited release in the United States by Janus Films and Sideshow in New York and Los Angeles on 22 November 2024, before being released to 200 theatres on 6 December.[32] The film was released in Belgium on 15 January 2025 by Le Parc Distribution.[33] It opened in 800 theatres in Mexico on 1 January 2025.[34] PVR Inox Pictures released Flow in India on 28 February 2025.[35] Madman Entertainment is set to release the film theatrically in Australia on 20 March 2025.[36]

A board game based on the film was released in January 2025.[37]

Home media

In the U.S., Flow will be released in 4K Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection in 2025.[38][39][40]

Reception and legacy

Box office

Since its release in Latvia, Flow has become the most-viewed theatrical film in Latvian history.[41][42] Over 306,000 tickets were sold in Latvia,[2] overtaking Blizzard of Souls to become the most attended film in the country's history.[43] Flow also became Janus Films' highest-grossing film in the U.S. with US$4 million in ticket sales, surpassing the domestic haul of Drive My Car (2021).[44]

As of February 2025, Flow has grossed over US$20 million at the global box office.[2]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 148 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Thanks to its innovative animation and mature themes, going with this Flow proves irresistible."[45] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 87 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[46]

Writing for The New York Times, Calum Marsh noted that "the animals act like animals, and that gives their adventure an authenticity that, in moments of both delight and peril, makes the emotion that much more powerful."[47] Jake Coyle of the Associated Press called Flow the best animated film of 2024, writing that the "computer generated animation adds to its dreamy, curiously real surrealism."[48]

Christian Blauvelt, writing for IndieWire, gave Flow an A rating and praised it as "brimming with sentiment but not sentimentality" and compared its limited dialogue and non-anthropomorphized animals to Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.[49]

Actor and director Bill Hader (Documentary Now) named Flow his favorite film of 2024, saying that he watched it three times and that it made him want to get a cat despite being allergic to them.[50]

Due to the film's popularity in Latvia, a statue of the cat from Flow was installed in Riga. It was initially installed outside of the Freedom Monument, and is planned to be moved to the Town Hall Square in April 2025.[42][51] Zilbalodis was honored as "Riga Citizen of the Year" in 2024.[34] Due to the success of Flow, the Latvian film industry saw increased investment. Zilbalodis said that he had been approached to create a sequel to Flow, but chose not to make one, instead focusing on a different project with dialogue.[52]

Accolades

Main article: List of accolades received by Flow

Flow was the first Latvian production to win an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. The film's Golden Globe Award was featured at the Latvian National Museum of Art for one week.[34] It was also the first independent film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature,[53] and the second animated film to be nominated for both the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and Best Animated Feature after Flee.[54]

See also

References

  1. ^ Zahed, Ramin. "Flow Director Gints Zilbalodis Sets Adventure Adrift in an Animal Waterworld". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Lang, Jamie (13 February 2025). "Oscar Nominee Flow Passes $20 Million at Global Box Office in Indie Animation Milestone (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  3. ^ Zilbalodis, Gints [@gintszilbalodis] (16 January 2025). "Even though I've said this many times, there is still some confusion about the color of the cat in Flow. It's dark grey, not black" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 February 2025 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ a b No Dialogue 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Siddi 2025.
  6. ^ Foley, Joe (29 January 2025). "How Oscar-nominated Flow was created using free software. Yes, really". Creative Bloq. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  7. ^ a b Sound Design 2024.
  8. ^ Zilbalodis, Gints [@gintszilbalodis] (6 February 2025). "One of my biggest influences on Flow is Future Boy Conan by Hayao Miyazaki which is also set in a flooded, post-apocalyptic world" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 February 2025 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ As Seen 2024.
  10. ^ No Deleted 2025.
  11. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (16 March 2022). "Gints Zilbalodis' Flow and Edmunds Jansons' Born Happy form the Latvian contingent at this year's Cartoon Movie". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  12. ^ a b Abbatescianni 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d Tiger Whale 2025.
  14. ^ Izu Shaboten Zoo [@izushabotenpark] (21 February 2025). "ラトビア出身のギンツ・ジルバロディス監督は過去に来日した際、本作に登場する カピバラ をリサーチするために、なんと…！ 伊豆シャボテン動物公園 にご来園下さったというエピソードが！！" [When Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis visited Japan in the past, he actually came to Izu Shaboten Zoo to research on capybaras.) which appears in this film!] (Tweet). Retrieved 5 March 2025 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Zilbalodis, Gints [@gintszilbalodis] (7 February 2025). "Originally I'd planned for the whale in Flow to look like a real whale, but it needed to be more scary so we decided to redesign it into a more mystical creature" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 February 2025 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Radulovic, Petrana (15 February 2025). "The animated movie Flow went through big changes on its way to the Oscars". Polygon. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  17. ^ Zilbalodis, Gints [@gintszilbalodis] (17 February 2025). "The design of the boat in Flow is inspired by Mediterranean, boats called feluccas. Since this is the most important prop/location in the film, we spent a lot of time on designing all the details" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 February 2025 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Behind Scene 2024.
  19. ^ "Flow – Soundtrack". Milan Records. Archived from the original on 27 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Flow Soundtrack Album Released". Film Music Reporter. 1 November 2024. Archived from the original on 30 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  21. ^ https://mikkoraita.com/
  22. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4772188/fullcredits
  23. ^ Lang, Jamie (15 June 2024). "Memoir of a Snail, Flow Split Feature Honors at Annecy, Percebes Wins Best Short". Variety. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  24. ^ "Flow and La Voix des Sirènes make waves at OIAF, winning top prizes" (PDF). Ottawa International Animation Festival. 28 September 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  25. ^ "Flow". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  26. ^ Chai, Daniel. "Vancouver International Film Festival reveals first official selections". Daily Hive Vancouver. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  27. ^ Frater, Patrick (3 September 2024). "Busan Film Festival Sets Park Chan-wook Scripted Netflix Title Uprising as Opener, Expands Program Despite Slashed Funding". Variety. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  28. ^ "MIFF Awards 2024". Melbourne International Film Festival. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  29. ^ "VIDEO: Ginta Zilbaloža animācijas «Straume» Latvijas pirmizrāde tuvojas; noskaties treileri!" [VIDEO: The Latvian premiere of Gints Zilbaložs' animation "Straume" is approaching; watch the trailer!]. LSM.lv (in Latvian). 31 July 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Flow". Forum Cinemas. Retrieved 9 January 2024. Distributor: Baltic Content Media
  31. ^ "Les distributeurs ajustent leurs line-ups". Boxoffice Pro (in French). 7 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  32. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (26 September 2024). "'Flow' Trailer: Behold a Wondrous Cannes Triumph That Should Also Be Your Kids' Next Animated Obsession". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 10 January 2025.
  33. ^ ""Flow: le chat qui n'avait plus peur de l'eau", de Gints Zilbalodis, un film d'animation d'une puissance visuelle et narrative exceptionnelle" (in French). RTBF. 14 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  34. ^ a b c Aguilar 2025.
  35. ^ "Golden Globe Award-Winning Animated Film Flow to Release in Indian Theatres on This Date". Koimoi. 25 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  36. ^ "Flow – In Cinemas March 20". Madman Entertainment. Archived from the original on 23 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  37. ^ "The board game Flow brings the unique atmosphere of the film Straume to life in a whole new way". Globuss (in Latvian). Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  38. ^ "Double Oscar Nominee Flow Joins Criterion Collection, Floats Past Box Office Milestone". Animation Magazine. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  39. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (13 February 2025). "Flow Will Join the Criterion Collection Later This Year with 4K Special Edition". IndieWire. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  40. ^ Taylor, Drew (13 February 2025). "Critical Darling Animated Film Flow to Join the Criterion Collection". TheWrap. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  41. ^ "Flow becomes most viewed film ever in Latvian cinemas". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  42. ^ a b Radulovic, Petrana (11 February 2025). "Latvia is full of love for the Flow kitty". Polygon. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  43. ^ Most Viewed 2025.
  44. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (5 January 2025). "Indies Surge In Heart Of Awards Season Ahead Of Golden Globes, Oscar Nominations – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  45. ^ Flow at Rotten Tomatoes
  46. ^ "Flow". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  47. ^ Marsh, Calum (21 November 2024). "Flow Review: A Cat's Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  48. ^ Coyle, Jake (6 December 2024). "Movie Review: A wordless Latvian cat parable about climate change is the year's best animated movie". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  49. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (21 November 2024). "'Flow' Review: A Cute Kitty Centers One of the Most Groundbreaking Animated Films About Nature Since 'Bambi'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 10 January 2025.
  50. ^ O'Flat, Chris (30 December 2024). "65 Directors Pick Their Favorite Films of 2024". IndieWire. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  51. ^ "Star cat from Flow sits by Freedom Monument in Rīga". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  52. ^ Ntim, Zac (24 January 2025). "Gints Zilbalodis On How Flow Has "Activated" Local Film Investment In Latvia & Avoiding Pitches To Produce A Sequel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  53. ^ Dockterman 2025.
  54. ^ Flee 2025.

Works cited

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