Gondola is a beautiful German production, but its theme and execution make it completely universal: it’s a film without dialogue that tells a love story using only action and visual language. The plot follows two cabin attendants who work on a cable car line in the mountains of Georgia. Between them, a bond grows beyond friendship, even though during the day, they can only see each other when their respective cable cars cross in the air. A tender and simple narrative, but elegantly told, perfect for warming the heart and brightening your day.
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.
Sometimes we get so carried away by the marketing power of studios like Disney Pixar, and we overlook other avenues for deep and powerful animated stories that don't need excessively complex plots to evoke emotions. Such is the case with Robot Dreams, a Hispanic-French production directed by Pablo Berger (2012’s Snow White), based on the eponymous graphic novel by Sara Varon. Set in New York during the 80s, the story follows Dog, whose solitary life leads him to buy a robot for companionship. Their friendship grows, but an unfortunate day at the beach forces them to separate and long for the day of their reunion. Virtually without dialogue, with vibrant animation and a captivating visual language, the film tells a simple yet profoundly moving story about (curiously) human relationships and the course they take despite (or because of) accidents, fortuitous circumstances, and uncontrollable events that happen throughout life.
A blend of thriller, horror, and science fiction that, in the best sense, harkens back to great films in these genres like "10 Cloverfield Lane," "Nope" and "War of the Worlds." Directed by Brian Duffield (Spontaneous), "No One Will Save You" follows a young woman, Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever), an anxious girl who prefers to stay at home... until strange invaders force her to venture out and confront the inexplicable. What follows is a story that never loses its pace and offers intriguing mysteries, which Dever manages to carry on her own. If you enjoy the most unsettling forms of horror and science fiction, don't let this one pass you by.