Flow is, in simple terms, one of the most beautiful films of 2024 both visually and narratively, and one of the most interesting – and awarded – animations of the year for several reasons. It is a Latvian production that tells the story of a kitten struggling to survive in a mysteriously flooded world, learning to coexist with animals from other species aboard a boat. Simple, but effectively told with pure images, without dialogue, achieving an almost naturalistic expressiveness in the animals and a deceptive emotional depth for such a basic premise, which focuses more on evoking compassion than on explaining its mysteries. Additionally, in terms of the animation industry, it could be a game-changer: it was made entirely with the open-source software Blender, which opens the door for independent animators to create innovative animated films without the constraints imposed by other expensive industry standards.
