A One Mann’s Movies review of “Flow” (2025).
I must admit to having a bit of a grudge against this film. There were 49 different films nominated for the 2025 Oscars (including all of the short films) and I managed to see 47 of them. The two exceptions were “The Six Triple Eight” (which was only nominated for a Best Song, so I just listened to that) and “Flow”, which was only received a UK release AFTER the Oscars on March 2nd. Grrrr!
Of course, fate being fate, “Flow” is the one that went on to win the “Best Animated Film” category. And, I think I would have almost certainly backed this film for the Oscar if I’d managed to see it beforehand. It’s a little gem.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Flow” Plot:
Something terrible has happened to the world and the waters keep rising. A cat is washed away from his home and thrown together with a varied array of different animals on board a small boat. Can they survive?
Certification:
UK: U; US: PG. (From the BBFC web site: “Very mild threat”)
Talent:
Directed by: Gints Zilbalodis.
Written by: Gints Zilbalodis, Matiss Kaza & Ron Dyens.
Running Time: 1h 25m.
“Flow” Summary:
Positives:
- The mystery involved in the world-building is wonderful.
- Fluid and realistic animation that enchants.
- Some genuinely moving moments.
Negatives:
- Some of the animal deplou unbelievable intellect!
Review of “Flow”:
What has happened to the world?
We are clearly on earth, but it’s an apocalyptic earth. The cat is living in the broken home of, presumably, his artist owner. But where is the owner? Where indeed are all the other people? The garden is filled with cat statues, but there is also a gigantic cat-shaped hill next to the garden. WTF? A rowing boat is stuck high in a tree… how did it get there? It’s a really strong opening for the film, building mystery and intrigue for adult viewers.
An interesting Google search history!
The film progresses without explanation, or indeed dialogue, making it a truly universal watch. We are progressively introduced to the other animal characters involved: a golden retriever (part of a pack of much wilder and less-trustworthy dogs); a narcoleptic Capybara; a kleptomaniac lemur; and a Secretary bird. I was breaking ‘the code’ by looking at my phone in the screening, which I kind of felt was OK in this instance, since in my early-morning screening I was the only customer. My Google search history makes for an interesting read: “Where do Capybaras come from?” (the answer is South America); “Do lemurs hoard things?” (the answer is yes, they do); “What does a Secretary bird look like?” (like the animated version in the film). The film is constantly challenging you to try to make sense of random images put together.
One of the key drivers for this curiosity is the global nature of the piece. We start off in what seems to be a leafy backwater of a US state, but then we end up in what looks to be a submerged version of the Zhangjiajie Forest Park in China and then to a Tibetan monastery. And the animals are from such a diverse geography: Capybaras are from South America; Lemurs are from Madagascar and Secretary Birds are native to sub-Saharan Africa. I mean, they might have all escaped from a local zoo… but it is never explained how or why this diverse set of creatures ends up on the same boat!
Some moving moments.
It is only a U certificate (in the UK), so there are no moments of extreme peril. But there is (apparently) a death (albeit rather unexplained) and it is just one of many moments where the animation mixed with the wonderful score (composed by Gints Zilbalodis and Rihards Zaļupe) managed to really move me. The animation style captures the movements (particularly) of the cat beautifully.
The sounds of the animals were captured from their live subjects (except for the Capybara which, apparently, didn’t sound right for the character so they used a baby camel instead – Source: IMDB).
Never trust a Capybara to steer a boat.
There are moments when you need to put credibility aside. A case in point is when these random animals show huge intellect in knowing how to steer a boat with a rudder. I mean, I don’t complain when cats play the double bass in “The Aristocrats” or a monkey plays jazz in “The Jungle Book”. But this is an animation that is firmly based in reality (albeit a magical reality) and this rather set a duff note with me. The one thing you shouldn’t do is put the rudder in the hands of a Capybara – they haven’t yet got their “Hey Duggee” seamanship badge!
A cyclical tale.
Without spoiling the ending, there’s a beautifully cyclical nature to the film, the final shot matching the opening shot… but with added friendship. The boat in the tree indicates that they has happened before…. and will probably happen again. Like in nature, everything happens in an eternal loop.
Summary Thoughts on “Flow”
A joy of an animated film that is well worth trying to catch. In terms of an audience, I think this would largely be suitable for 5-year-olds and up. But it is that rare beast outside of Ghibli output: an animated film that adults can appreciate as much as, if not more than, children.
As regular readers will know, I’m not a great fan of animated films in general, but I am a fan of this one. A worthy Oscar-winner.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Flow”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY0DsUNNbFE.
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