★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Set in a post-human world, Flow is a glamorous illustration of nature, plight and comradery. The film follows Cat through a cataclysmic flood that forces the one solitary and untrusting animal to share a boat ride with unfamiliar faces: a capybara, a labrador, a lemur and a secretarybird.
Flow is wonderfully unique in its depiction of this apocalyptic world, and I’d argue it makes a fabulous complementary film to 9. While 9 presents a grisly, barren landscape with nothing but scraps of metal, Flow elegantly exhibits the remnants of humanity merely in the background, instead focusing on painting vivid imagery of a winsome new natural world.
But in this world, catastrophe resurges and characters with conflicting natures are forced to collaborate in their shared struggle. And although the characters are partly personified, they retain their charming animal identities. Amongst them, the secretarybird is a special character, standing out in an expressionistic scene of a cosmic dance between itself and Cat, ending with its ascension to heaven. This moment of symbolic sacrifice is one of the many instances in which Flow prioritises symbolism over realism.
This leads me to what makes Flow special: how expressive it is. From Cat’s radiant amber eyes to the delicate but evocative noises that the animals make, this movie is the embodiment of “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This equally applies to the soundtrack, which perfectly captures the atmosphere of every scene and reinforces the impression they aim to evoke.
Essentially, Flow is a stylish depiction of trust and friendship. The story is simple. The message is simple. And yet, it might be the message we’ve most forgotten today. Hopefully, people will look into the puddle reflecting Cat, Capybara, Labrador and Lemur in the final scene and see themselves.
““Flow” wins 2025 LUX Audience Award” by European Parliament is licensed under CC BY 2.0.