When the black kitteh gave that doofy lab the side-eye, I knew they’d at least nailed one thing: Doggos annoy the hell outta cats.
It’s easy to take interchangeable words for granted. ‘Flow’ immediately stirs up watery images, but its adaptability gloriously goes beyond a body of water and into the realm of a calm, steady wellbeing just as palpable for those trying to chillax or figure out what should follow the title Hustle &. Gints Zilbalodis’ animalistic odyssey is all about the balance between chaos and harmony in nature. It continues to “flow” even amongst extraordinary circumstances.
Coming in just south of my Estonian homeland, this Latvian import is lovely, lyrical, and mystical with plenty of good humor and a gentility to even its most harrowing sequences. It’s like a colorful tree leaf that’s fallen upon the surface of a rushing river and stays afloat despite rapids which could swallow it up any moment. Eliminating dialogue altogether can come off as a gimmick (re: Silent Night), but like last year’s Robot Dreams, utilizing pure visual wonder in lieu of quips or fart jokes makes Flow a sweet tale featuring a uniquely retro look and enough emotional resonance to overcome its thin narrative.
One summer, we came back from vacation to find a black cat hiding under our car. After some inquiries, we eventually adopted him and I loved him very much. Black cats get a bad rap, and Tom was a good friend. He passed away during my first year of college and he’d be pissed if he knew I wrote this, but in a way, he was very doglike in his companionship. Cats can be just as aloof as they are snuggly, but Tom would follow me on my adventures through the forest which bordered our neighborhood. I’d go far and he’d never stray from my side. I was reminded of him as I watched the heartwarming and often dangerous adventures of a black cat, a frisky lab, a secretary bird, a capybara, and a hording ring-tailed lemur attempting to survive a massive flood.
It’s all about the journey and there’s a majesty to Zilbalodis’ tale. Keenly observed animal traits, particularly for the cat and dog, speak volumes as to the level of detail at play here. The handheld quality to the beguiling, almost video game-style animation lends a fly-on-the-wall aura, especially during set pieces like the cat diving to gather fish within an aquatic wonderland. Despite many laughs and inspiring moments, there’s minor inconsistencies to the animals’ realization as clearly human traits are applied in service of the story. The whole affair isn’t realistic, but it could be. Yes, watching these animals bite and scrap on a boat wouldn’t make for much of a movie, but more danger and less of a wistful approach might’ve been beneficial. Regardless, the desperate ‘mews’ of the cat are deeply affecting and in the bittersweet finale, we see that nature’s balance doesn’t come without consequences
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