FLOW
FLOW
Performance
Trailer
In a manner rich in emotion yet foregoing false sentimentality, Latvian animated film Gints Zilbalodis engages with his subject matter. First the cat has to overcome its fear of water, then that of power-hungry fellow travellers, and then its fear of ever more powerful forces of nature that now threaten the lives of this unequal, artificially created community (consisting of a cat, golden retriever, lemur, secretary bird, and capybara). Snow, rain and wind, forest fires and the sinking ruins of abandoned cities - finding a new home on this planet laid waste to by natural disasters is hopeless. Owing to its high production value and fateful "circle of life" motif, FLOW has already drawn comparisons with Walt Disney's cult animated film Bambi. In both films, fate is irreversible and the animals are left to their own devices. The principle of hope has been exhausted, even if there are always glimmers thereof: here a ray of sunshine, there a lush meadow, fruit on a tree, one's own reflection in calm waters. And yet a dystopia knows no mercy, and thus this film remains above all a plea for solidarity, one which makes survival possible in the end. A fascinating animated film that captivates with the naturalistic movements of its animal heroes and the almost three-dimensional depth of the multi-plane camera images.
Text: Bernd Buder
07.11.2024 | 12:30 | Weltspiegel Saal 2 (without speech)
10.11.2024 | 21:00 | Weltspiegel Großer Saal (without speech)
Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža
Director of Animation: Léo Silly-Pélissier
Gurwal Coïc-Gallas
Gints Zilbalodis, Rihards Zaļupe
Gints Zilbalodis - Gints Zilbalodis (1994) is a Latvian filmmaker and animator. His debut feature film Away which he made entirely by himself won the Best Feature Film Contrechamp Award in Annecy. It has been selected in more than 90 festivals and sold in 18 territories. His fascination for filmmaking began at an early age watching classic films and making shorts. Prior to Away he made 7 short films in various mediums including hand-drawn animation, 3D animation and live-action and often mixing their characteristic aesthetics. Flow is his second animated feature film, having its World premiere at the Un Certain Regard section in Cannes.
