Movie Thoughts: Flow (2024)

• Released: May 22nd, 2024
• Directed by: Gints Zilbalodis
  
• Running time: 1h 25min
• Rating 4.5/5

Synopsis

A cat and a few other animals are trapped on a boat when their world floods and will have to work together to survive.

My Thoughts

I had high hopes for this one, based on its Oscar win and some very positive reviews. And yes, man, it absolutely deserved that Oscar. What a phenomenal movie.

I just love everything about this. The characters, the look and feel of the world, the aura of mystery around it all, the pretty use of color, the soundtrack. This movie legit made me emotional at several times because I just wanted these poor animals to be safe so badly.

I also just love the fact that the animals don't talk and mostly show their real-life animal behaviors, rather than being anthropomorphized. And the fact that this movie doesn't explain everything. Why are there seemingly no humans in this world? Why are there giant monuments dedicated to cats? What exactly are those large pillar-like structures they travel to? Why does the bird rapture? The movie lets the audience come up with its own conclusions and doesn't spoon-feed all the information and I am loving it.

If I do have to have a (very minor) criticism, it's that the animation isn't perfect. Don't get me wrong, it is still good, but some of the movements of the animals don't feel entirely natural or like they match with their real-life counterparts. There are a few instances where I was like "hm, a real cat wouldn't do this movement in this exact way". But, again, very minor stuff and it in no way distracted me from how great this movie is. Just know that if you are very familiar with the natural movements of some of these animals you might find yourself realizing the animation isn't always true to life.

Overall, what a fantastic movie. Absolutely recommend it, Oscar well-deserved.