Movie Review: Flow

A band of animal misfits embark on the journey of a lifetime

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing the Latvian animated film Flow in the theater. I’d never heard of it, but all of the other options were sequels (Gladiator II, Moana 2) or Christmas movies. Flow had a great trailer, excellent reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (97% “fresh” as of this writing), and won a bunch of awards, including Un Certain Regard at Cannes. I was sold.

The plot is simple: One day, without warning, it starts raining. We’re introduced to an unnamed black cat living in a run-down house curiously filled with drawings and sculptures of cats. There are no people around this house, or any other part of the movie (more on that later). In fact, there is no dialogue at all during the hour and a half running time. Within a few minutes, you won’t notice or care.

As the water rises, the black cat tries to flee to higher ground along with a stampede of deer, packs of birds, and countless other animals. Our ‘hero’ soon takes refuge on a drifting row boat that contains a capybara stowaway. Soon their world is completely flooded and they drift past half-submerged cities and mountains. Their crew grows to include several other critters, including a Golden Retriever, a lemur, and a secretary bird.

For the most part, the animals behave like they would in the wild, this isn’t Zootopia or The Secret Life of Pets. The dopey Golden constantly mimics the other animals and goads them into playing. We cheer as the cat who hates water learns to swim and catch fish. The lemur hoards trinkets (the cat knocks them off the ledge). The most unrealistic part of the movie is they figure out how to push the tiller connected to the rudder (although watching my two cats learn how to open door handles in our house like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park, I’m not sure it’s that implausible…)

You would think that a movie without any human characters or dialogue would be boring, well Flow is anything BUT. On the contrary, I was often on the edge of my seat, terrified for the danger these little guys faced. They’re constantly escaping predators and rising water. Without spoiling too much, there are several beautiful scenes that blur the line between the real world and the metaphysical or supernatural.

The water eventually recedes and our black cat protagonist finds himself in a new land. At the start of the movie he is alone, by the end he is surrounded by new friends.

What, if anything, does this movie “mean”? On the most superficial level, it uses the classic survival tale to drive escapist entertainment. Some cute animals go on a journey, and after overcoming many obstacles, there is a happy ending. Clearly, one of the basic themes is unity—our motley crew of very different species that initially don’t get along eventually learn to help each other survive. But I think there is more going on under the surface.

The fact that humans are completely absent seems deliberate and important. Many of the towns our furry friends pass appear run-down, long since abandoned. It is implied that people may have been wiped out by some calamity, leaving only animals behind, though it is never stated explicitly. Add in the flooding plot and it seems to be a clear parable about climate change and sea level rise.

Still, that wouldn’t make sense with the water eventually draining away. The movie’s metaphors are more subtle than a cartoon about global warming. Water is an ever-present symbol in the film, and it is constantly flowing forward, propelling the action and our characters. With the title literally named FLOW, impermanence seems to be the main message: Things are constantly changing, the world moves on. We often can’t control the turbulent storms of life. What we can control are our own actions. You can choose to fight the current or go with it and make the best of what you find down river.

Or it could mean something else completely different to you! Like the best poems, this movie is open to many different interpretations.

Flow is a feast for the senses with gorgeous animation unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The ambient nature sounds make you feel like you’re right there with these animals and the musical score is understated yet effective. It all adds up to a surprisingly moving film for a cartoon about animals (I certainly didn’t tear up at all, but for some reason the theater seemed extra dusty…)

I would recommend Flow to audiences of all ages. Kids will love the animation and cute animals. Adults will marvel at the magical realism and subtle themes. If you can, see it in theaters rather than waiting for streaming—your living room TV won’t do justice to this lush picture.

Playing in select theaters now. Flow is rated PG for “peril and thematic elements,” there are a few scenes of (very) mild animal violence.