Flow

4:00pm - Friday, Jan 3, 2025

Flow

A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, the Latvian animated adventure FLOW follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. From the boundless imagination of the award-winning filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis (AWAY) comes a thrilling animated spectacle as well as a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of friendship and community. Steeped in the soaring possibilities of visual storytelling, FLOW is a feast for the senses and a treasure for the heart.

Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 98%, FLOW is the best-reviewed animated film of the year. Following a world premiere in Cannes, the film then screened in Annecy where it won three juried prizes as well as the Audience Award, before going onto a North American premiere at TIFF. FLOW was also selected as the Latvian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.

"Critic's Pick! Zilbalodis largely avoids the sort of whimsy and sentimentality that might plague, say, a Disney movie with the same premise. The animals act like real animals, not like cartoons or humans, and that restraint gives their adventure an authenticity that, in moments of both delight and peril, makes the emotion that much more powerful."
(The New York Times)

"The real takeaway is that we have to rely on each other for salvation. And it’s here where this experiential experiment in empathy, eco-activism and elation over the creative possibilities of a medium too often hijacked to sell toys truly hits its marks." (Rolling Stone Magazine)

"The Latvian film is part brilliant experiment, part cutesy animal movie, but engrossing for all audiences—even if it might, like Fantasia, stick uncomfortably in the memories of the youngest in attendance." (AV Club)

""One of the year’s richest discoveries, 'Flow' belongs as much to a timeline of animal-centric masterpieces ('Au hasard Balthazar,' 'Gunda,' 'EO') as it does the history of animated indies. And in its simple, generous spirit of giving these creatures palpable narrative power, there’s a profundity: 'Flow' might only be imagining their coping skills without us, but it’s a charming, poignant vision of community and perseverance we could stand to be inspired by." (Los Angeles Times)

Friday, January 3
Doors 3:30 pm | Movie 4:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

FLOW (Gints Zilbalodis, 2024 / 85 mins / PG) The world seems to be coming to an end, teeming with the vestiges of a human presence. Cat is a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences. In the lonesome boat sailing through mystical overflowed landscapes, they navigate the challenges and dangers of adapting to this new world.


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