Flow: Wholesomely Moving

The simplicity of Flow is deceiving, as this dialogue-less film about a group of animals trying to survive passes all human bounds and tells an inspiring story all can appreciate. 

Rating: 7.4/10

Highlights

• Universally appreciable 

• Celebration of life and animals 

• Not too much magic

Lowlights

• Anxiety-inducing

• Suboptimal animation style

• Unclear ending

As a film, Flow stands in a league of its own. The care with which it was created seeps through the plot, rendering it a uniquely successful and moving film. Flow is especially successful considering it has no dialogue at all -- all characters are animals, and unlike other animated films starring creatures, they aren't personified, which I really appreciated. This allows the film to serve as a bridge between the children and adults who watch it, as they will both get the same story from the film. Such a decision renders the film a true international piece as well; the film is meaningful despite language of choice. The full range of human emotions are explored throughout Flow, and the plot features the perfect amount of magic to elevate the movie beyond an overly realistic story to a more classic animated delight. I was most impressed when I learned about the production style -- Flow took five years to create, and there were no deleted scenes or storyboards. My understanding is that the production team must have "flowed" with the story nearly as it was developed. I'm not sure how this is possible, as the outcome is very impressive. An ominous ending leaves the adult viewer perturbed, but overall, Flow is an inspiring musing on the impacts of climate change on animals and how fundamental our survival instincts really are. 

Liked Flow? Watch Ponyo, another animated film about rising floods that both children and adults can enjoy.

Watch the trailer!