Why I took it off the list:

I didn’t know much about this animated film from Latvia, but from the promotional images, the animation seemed incredibly appealing. Also, I saw it got great notices after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

So, let’s dig in!

Review of Flow (2024)

Flow tells the story of a lone black cat living in what seems to be a post-apocalyptic world: there are no people around, but remnants of a human civilization dot the landscape, from an abandoned house to huge, monolithic statues and structures that tower above the foliage.

The cat is simply going about its business when a cataclysmic flood slowly begins to take over the landscape and leaves the land and vegetation underwater.

Luckily, the cat is able to scramble onto another remnant of man, a boat, one of many that seems to be floating around in this newly underwater world.

The cat is not alone on the boat for long, however, as it’s soon joined by a menagerie of other animals, including a capybara, a lemur, a large winged bird, and a Labrador.

Together, these animals float across the waterlogged world in search of some stable dry land, navigating the search for food, the rescue of other animals, falls overboard, and other trials along the way.

Beautiful Animation and Effective Storytelling

There’s not much else to say about the plot of Flow, as it’s an incredible simple story, although effectively told. Entirely dialogue-free, it instead relies on the expressions and actions of the animals to convey emotion and intent.

Luckily, the movements of the animals are all incredibly believable and lifelike, and the personality of each creature comes through loud and clear. The lack of spoken word actually comes to be something of a benefit, as it forces you to hyper focus on the action onscreen.

It also helps a lot that the animation is simply stunning from beginning to end. The world around the animals, all lush vegetation, treacherous seas, and towering statues, is breathtaking, and the attention to detail on the creatures themselves is impressive.

Although there’s not much story to speak of, the film holds the attention throughout through the interactions between the critters and the constant peril they find themselves in.

Final score: 10/10

Flow (2024): Worth Watching?

Yes, Flow is a stunning piece of animation that tells an engaging story in a post-apocalyptic world entirely without dialogue, that’s both beautiful to look at and emotionally resonant.