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'Flow' 2024 - animated film

  • 14-12-2024 12:01AM
    #1
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,370 CMod ✭✭✭✭


    What a charming film. I believe it is streaming on Amazon currently.

    No dialogue, lovely story, just beautiful to watch. Extraordinary sound work.

    Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82WW9dVbglI



Comments

  • #2
    Fysh
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators Posts: 11,160 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fysh


    The same director has made a previous film called Away which I quite liked - no dialogue and a fairly simple story but particularly impressive as it was made entirely by one person. Worth a look.

    I'm looking forward to seeing Flow at the cinema when it releases here early next year.



  • #3
    Thelonious Monk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,273 ✭✭✭✭Thelonious Monk


    Just saw in cinema. Beautiful. I loved the style of 2000s video game animation.



  • #4
    Fysh
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators Posts: 11,160 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fysh


    I forgot to write about this when I saw it at the cinema but I *loved* it - with the very small caveat that as a lifelong cat lover I was not prepared for how tense I would get at the various points where the cat is in distress.

    Lovely animation and storytelling, and I particularly enjoyed how confident its dialogue -free approach was. Worth noting that there is a post-credits scene that I missed, but can be found online.

    Also worth noting that the director has a Vimeo page with several of his earlier short films available to watch.



  • #5
    SuperBowserWorld
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,530 ✭✭✭SuperBowserWorld


    Was this film streamed "for free" recently on Netflix/Amazon? I'm sure I saw it, but didn't get to watch it.

    Definitely will go and see it, if I can find a quiet cinema time to go. I'd prefer to watch it in the cinema, but it's expensive if there's 3/4 going and annoying if there are distractions. But that's a topic for a different thread.



  • #6
    Irish Aris
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 6,893 Mod ✭✭✭✭Irish Aris


    I saw it over the weekend.

    I have seen Gints Zibalodis previous film, Away and was really impressed by the dialogue free approach.

    Here things are elevated even further, with the same silent approach. I will admit that having animals and especially the cat as a protagonist is a big selling point for me, so I went in with a very positive feeling. I honestly think though that this is a great film that I will rewatch again (probably many times) in the future.

    Though it is made using Blender, a computer graphics software, it has a lovely warmth in its colour palette, the shades of the environment is so realistic. I agree with Fysh that some scenes showing the cat in peril were intense, but never lasted long and usually followed by a calm event. The story flows (pun intented) so effortlessly - I liked how the animals are presented, it's so natural (I read that some of the animals were studied in zoos to make them more accurate).

    Sublime, just sublime!

    2025 gigs: Selofan, Alison Moyet, Wardruna, Gavin Friday, Orla Gartland, The Courettes, Nine Inch Nails, Rhiannon Giddens, New Purple Celebration, Nova Twins



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  • #7
    johnny_ultimate
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 30,541 CMod ✭✭✭✭johnny_ultimate


    Very fond of this, which I think takes the promise of Away and builds on it in rewarding ways. Would take any one of these adventuring animals in as a pet, no question.

    It is interesting to see a filmmaker so clearly inspired by video games. Outside of ‘Hundreds of Beavers’ which is a wonderful video game movie, Zibalodis is making the best video gamey films around. Mostly by playing on my deep affection for the works of Team Ico, which I think have influenced his work as much as any of the canonical animation directors of cinema. Away maybe felt a bit too video gamey at times even, but I think that’s much less of an issue here, as clearly Ico-coded as a lot of the imagery and mystery is :)



  • #8
    howdydoo83
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 42 ✭howdydoo83


    Personally think it's an insult to compare this to team ico games. Maybe more journey like. Wasn't a massive fan of this, would have ironically worked better as a video game.



  • #9
    NIMAN
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,583 ✭✭✭✭NIMAN


    Watched about 20min, got bored and stopped.



  • #10
    Fysh
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators Posts: 11,160 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fysh


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123314192#Comment_123314192

    If you don't mind me asking, what aspects of it didn't work for you? Genuinely interested in that it seems not many folk have seen this and felt like discussing it, so getting a broader range of perspectives might add to the conversation 🙂

    (Edited to try and make clear I'm not looking to suggest your opinion is wrong or anything!)



  • #11
    johnny_ultimate
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 30,541 CMod ✭✭✭✭johnny_ultimate


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123314192#Comment_123314192

    Zilbalodis has very openly cited Ueda as a major influence (source) and while it’s not a 1:1 copy or anything - Zibalodis absolutely has his own approach too - there’s definitely a lot in Flow / Away in terms of art design, storytelling philosophy and minimalist aesthetics that are reminiscent of the Team Ico approach. The abandoned architecture in both his films is very similar to what is seen in the three Team Ico games, to pick just one example. Ditto the focus on realistic animal animation and behaviour for animation-based silent storytelling and character building reminded me a lot of The Last Guardian.

    Whether Flow lives up to the masterworks of Team Ico is another question (I don’t think it’s quite on the same level, but also very different medium!) but the influence I would argue is pretty undeniable.

    I would say he is influenced by Journey too for sure, especially in Away. But that film also has some even more striking resemblances or homages to the Ueda gameography (including a colossus-like creature).

    And seems Ueda likes Zilbalodis’ approach too :)

    https://twitter.com/fumito_ueda/status/1335920968879853569?s=46&t=nwvJe3fJtU0siJ7wj5mjTA


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  • #12
    El Duda
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 940 ✭✭✭El Duda


    Flow – 9/10

    A gorgeous Latvian animation that is full of life and vitality. It has gorgeous, almost photo-realistic scenery and the various animals are as brilliantly animated as they are lovable. On top of all that, the score is tremendous.

    There are several visuals that will strike a chord. For me it was when the Cat climbed up the giant Cat statue as the water levels were rising. It felt very prescient in these times of climate doom and gloom.

    A thoroughly deserved Oscar winner.



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