“Flow,” playing at the M.V. Film Center starting Dec. 15, is a mysterious, profoundly moving, and sometimes nerve-wracking journey of a black cat with immensely endearing yellow eyes and an expressive face. The film is by Latvian director, animator, and composer Gints Zilbalodis, from a script he wrote with Matīss Kaža. It is a powerful tale that keeps us engrossed on several levels. While gorgeously animated, it is far deeper than a Disneyesque story, with multiple strands wending and weaving throughout.
Zilbalodis does not anthropomorphize his creatures by imbuing them with human language. Instead, he impressively channels their minutest natural expressions and vocalizations that create a sense of super-realism and evocative sound effects. I continually marveled at how every physical and auditory nuance conveyed the feline nature of our protagonist. For instance, at certain points in the story, Cat’s meows of distress or perplexity tug at your heartstrings.
“Flow” opens with Cat in a glorious forest, staring curiously at its reflection in the water — a recurring motif throughout the film, hinting at its contemplative nature. What Cat is thinking is elusive, as is the tale that unfolds. A herd of stags and deer stampede by, clearly running from something, but as yet unknown. Cat wanders through the forest and enters a clearing filled with oversize sculptures of felines leading up to an abandoned house. Where is the inhabitant? What do the feline figures, frozen in mid-motion, imply?
The story rushes forward when a cataclysmic flood devastates the land, thus igniting an ongoing adventure of survival in some strange apocalyptic world. Interestingly, there are no human characters, only occasional traces of humanity in the form of unidentifiable ruins more reminiscent of an ancient civilization than our own.
The film’s true theme emerges as Cat “flows” through the remaining world on a tattered, abandoned boat. Cat encounters various creatures who often pose a threat. Eventually, a motley crew emerges to join Cat — an imperturbable capybara, a boisterous yellow Lab, a touchy lemur, and an aloof secretary bird. At first, each retains its innate instincts. Still, they eventually “flow” toward a touching cooperation that sidesteps sentimentality, raising a timely question of whether our ingrained instincts are inalienably set in stone, or if beings with vastly different natures and interests can get along.
Interestingly, the film itself was a collaborative effort, produced with financial support from the National Film Centre of Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, ARTE France, Eurimages, RTBF, and the Belgian Tax Shelter.
“Flow” ultimately carries us along, never letting us nail down where it will go or what the details definitively mean. However, through exquisite artistry, it moves us emotionally about the need to balance independence and reliance on others for true triumph to prevail.
Screenings of “Flow” begin on Sunday, Dec. 15, at the M.V. Film Center. For information and tickets, visit mvfilmsociety.com/2024/11/flow.
