Flow (2024) Film Review: A stunning achievement in animated visual storytelling

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Film is an ever-changing, exciting medium to grace our screens. Every so often, lightning in a bottle is captured, and every piece in the puzzle seems to fit together perfectly. Consider The Godfather (1972), Toy Story (1995),12 Angry Men (1957), and the list goes on. Some movies become instant classics upon release and are cherished by audiences for years.

Flow (2024) is not just one of the best animated movies in recent years; it is arguably one of the best movies ever made and is fully deserving of this year's groundbreaking win for a foreign film to be awarded the Best Animated Feature Film Oscar.

A Latvian, French and Belgium co-production and a five-and-a-half-year passion project for director and feature writer Gints Zilbalodis, this 3D animation was entirely created and rendered on the free and open-source software Blender. The movie features no dialogue, purely relying on the universal language of visual and environmental storytelling and a fully immersive sound design that incorporates real animal noises.

Our story follows a solitary, inquisitive black cat whose home is devastated by a great flood, forcing him to take refuge on a boat that slowly becomes populated by various species of animals; all must work together to survive their changing landscape.

The film utilizes a stylistic, unique combination of hyper realistic animation, with comprehensive camera movements, beautifully realised sprawling environments, and awe-inspiring fantastical elements. Each frame is almost like a painting, with extensive research and observation taken by the crew to ensure the realistic, seamless movements and mannerisms of each individual animal.

The black cat observes a pack of dogs navigate tranquil waters

Despite its seemingly simple premise, the film achieves an almost biblical, epic status with its grand, mesmerizing visuals of temple ruins, nature in all its forms and the literal great flood itself, with the animals taking refuge in a boat, evoking striking parallels to Noah's Ark. It is never outright specified when the story takes place and with no humans present, with only their inventions and possessions remaining such as an unmade bed or a handheld mirror, it is heavily implied that our setting is a post-apocolyptic Earth. Although there are emotionally intense sequences of the animals tackling new challenges at every turn, there always remains an undercurrent of optimism against all odds.

Flow is a stellar example of the sheer power of visual storytelling through breathtaking animation and a nuanced, engrossing narrative that is accessible to anyone and everyone. This beautiful work of art certainly deserves all of its praise and is definitely worth watching on the big screen if you get the chance!

Check out the trailer for Flow below, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments.