Seeing your reflection reveals the tangible proof of your existence, and it is the space you currently happen to reside in and informs you of how the world views you if you happen to take care of such things. To this end, one can only presume that through the miracle of self-consciousness, one can imagine extending compassion to those around you who are also staggering from trying to grapple with the multitudinous constituents of the mere fact that they are alive.
Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis’ dialogue-free, 3DCG animated feature “Flow” depicts animal figures looking at their reflections on a shallow pool of water at the beginning and end of the film. These images are deeply significant, even for a film where the main idea is about clear cinematic language. The vast ocean of community and individuality separates those two solemn scenes.
“Flow,” Estonia’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, breathes life and the spirit of altruism. The clarity of its fable ensures its relevance is everlasting, while at the same time bringing about a greater depth into the visual space of the film. Featuring an iconic black cat, more than likely a spoil of some distant civilization, “Flow” takes us to a vision of Earth minus humans. The signs of human ancestry are in plenty in this forest space, but I think we are witnessing a post-human epoch as the planet mends from our sins.
With all that transpires, considering the water levels increase drastically and start sucking everything up, the cat finds itself quite literally standing on an island of its own, A cat’s humongous statue a tribute to their most loyal companions is almost completely drenched with water forcing the protagonist to leave its idyllic cocoon. Submerged structures and the ocean sweeping in make the structures to dissolve in water to amplify the meaning with an encouragement to surrender one’s ego in the face of the impending doom. Later, a whale swimming over the remains that used to be city streets clarifies the place of humanity’s ambitions in nature.
The cat takes shelter on a sailboat along with a sleepy capybara that floats lazily around the flood. A cheerful labrador, an elegant secretary bird and a noisome lemur join them and make the trip out part more interesting. On the horizon, a stretch of long but narrow mountain tops seems to assist the furry and feathery explorers in their quest. They are forced to aid one another. They rub noses to cement relations, share food as a goodwill gesture, and at times resort to aggression for an innocent new friend which could go into the anemones and then disappear. The bird as a leader has an erect form dominating the others. Each of a kind has its own traits of animation. The cat on the other hand is greatly amused with its travelling companions and the sights around it which further strengthen the bond.
The sweeping, creamy feel of the camera’s movement through the lit spaces gives the sense that the action takes place on its own even when everything is center staged in its coordination to the smallest detail emphasizing on how everything is organized and flawless. The animation collage by Zilbalodis simulates the spontaneity of life with amazing smoothness by sweeping the creatures on long shots of overwater on several occasions without losing the point of focus. The animation craftsmanship of the greenery, structures and water’s feel is rather a combination of quasi-artistic motion graphics and realism. The emotionless hyperrealism of Disney’s before-mentioned hand-drawn animated classics turned live action-that’s right, hybrid and at certain moments completely animated ( “The Lion King-2019”) is obviously not what this is all about. The graphics in the movie ‘Flow’ has bright characters and have been designed in shape in which way light penetrates and reflect the hue of the skin color.
Zilbalodis is adamant on ensuring that their attention toward the animals’ behavior is profoundly affected by one another. The attention to these behaviors allows for the formation of a thriving society on their ship. Laboosters for example serve to highlight thoroughly how the animals can impact the entire crew. While violence does occasionally occur within a group, Zilbalodis has a tendency to avoid blaming such behaviors entirely on the group by constructing entirely new groups that serve to be the opposite. However, the director showcases more than simply the inherent instinct to survive and a dream-like thought process where the cat envisages a group of deer fleeing the enraged water, he also showcases death. In this year, we have witnessed quite a sizeable number of deaths, and how the director felt about those events in this film is arguably one of the most beautiful motives put to film this year. The score, which was composed by Zilbalodis and Rihards Zaļupe, is infrequently incorporated to enhance the rich soundscape and bring out the beauty of the world. The score is also co-composed by Zilbalodis. The score has a beauty of its own that reflects calmness and stillness.
Lemurs give the impression of possessing some form of level when they play with a hand mirror they came across among the items that the boat’s previous owners had left behind, and then later, generously give away that item to other people. Perhaps such is the case: these creatures embody our finest moral traits and, through them, provide us with an opportunity to look at ourselves as well. Without uttering a single word, these selfless beings are telling us that the only way to survive is to consider ourselves as part of a bigger picture instead of as different nations squabbling over trivial matters. The lens of our foregone conclusions, the terrible prospects of humanity’s impending climate catastrophe along with a multitude of others, we would only have one another remaining to pull through. “Flow” is rather optimistic in its approach; it implies that those tempests do not have an end and that the deer will again run untamed in the woods. Life, as paradoxical in all its glory and great tact, will continue to flow.
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