How a Film with Zero Dialogue Says So Much
Flow has marked many firsts in the film industry, being the first Latvian production to win an Academy Award (and a Golden Globe) and the first independent film to win a Best Animated Feature. These results have given hope for the future that more indie and global creatives get their well-deserved flowers.
Directed by Gints Zilbalodis and made using Blender, Flow took a total of five and a half years to finish, with production starting way back in 2019.
It premiered in May 2024 at Cannes Film Festival and was released in Latvian theatres shortly after. It received glowing reviews from critics and broke multiple box office records in Latvia, making it the most-watched film in Latvian cinema history. Now, after a long wait, Flow is finally blessing our screens in the UK on March 21st, with tickets already on sale here at The Tyneside.
Flow tells the story of a cat faced with an unexpected flood, thrust into an adventure of survival and discovery. Along the way they make friends with other animals, travelling through the home that they once knew in a Noah’s Ark-esque boat scenario. In a scene near the very beginning, we see a simple drawing of a cat on the desk in the abandoned house where our main cat character resides. This is the only ‘concept art’ that Zilbalodis ever did, everything else from the film being directly modelled in Blender – which makes the final result even more impressive.
The characters are animated in such a way that audiences, especially pet owners, will recognise mannerisms that are so true to real-life animals. The small team did lots of research by going to zoos to observe the animals and the way they behaved. The noises made by the characters in the film were all recordings of real animal sounds. Gurwal Coïc-Gallas – the sound designer – even used his real cat, Miut, as the voice of the protagonist throughout Flow.
While they could reference their own pets for common animals like dogs and cats, one they had trouble with was the capybara. Matching sounds to the temperament they were trying to convey within the film proved a challenge. They first recorded themselves tickling capybaras, but this didn’t pair well with the laid-back nature their capybara was supposed to have. Ultimately, they ended up using the sounds of a baby camel, which works surprisingly well. They also used a pitched down tiger noise for the reoccurring whale character.
Each of the team’s commitment to conveying genuine and believable animals is most certainly shown in their sound production and pays off tremendously in emotional connection and impact. Flow is incredibly beautiful, the colours vivid and magical. The animation style, almost resembling a video game-like aesthetic, creates the perfect blend of stylised and realism.
Most impressive is the textures of water throughout the film, it being a major plot point throughout and something that is paid great attention. The audience watches as waves crash into each other, slapping against the boat, the reflections of the sun bouncing off it as if we were watching real life footage of the sea.
As well as being an incredible visual treat, Flow contains so much emotional depth and brings topical conversations to the table. Targeting themes of grief, change and companionship, the audience becomes connected so easily with the different personalities we see on screen. It can transpose onto a range of imperative discussions – from climate change to immigration – or can simply be seen as a beautiful film about animals.
As the credits roll, you are left with newfound empathy, having recognised relatable feelings of fear, love, and friendship in these animals who, despite their differences, come together to form community, something so important in today’s climate.
Tyneside Cinema screens Flow from the 21st of March and you can book tickets now.