Gints Zilbalodis
Flow - Un mondo da salvare

"It would be best if nothing happened to that three-dimensional cat"

I think, as the first few minutes of Flow progress. We are not informed about what happened to humanity, nor in which historical period between present and future we find ourselves; it is clear, however, that there is obviously no trace of us humans left. It is a world destroyed by climate change, but the problems are not yet over for the protagonists.

Everything is inexorably submerged by the waters while the kitty Flow, amidst many dangers, encounters those who will become her adventure companions. A formidable team of different species but united by the goal of surviving. The mythical Capibara sleeps, and when he is not sleeping, he saves the situation with nonchalance.

"I wish I were a capibara!"

declares my peer Gint Zilbalodis. Among the interviews he has given, I was struck by the news of his inability to study animation due to the lack of schools related to his fields of interest in Latvia. Yet this man did everything. He wrote and produced the film with his colleague Matīss Kaža, and created the soundtrack with the help of Rihards Zaļupe.

The software used is Blender, and with many fewer millions employed compared to his colleagues, he also won the Oscar for Best Animated Film.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable directing human actors, I'm an introvert and prefer to create through animation"

Don't approach Flow as you would a product intended solely for children; it's among the things that have most affected me in recent years. The actions and sounds of the characters are so realistic that you don't miss the lack of dialogue at all. A couple of scenes, towards the end, confuse a semblance of reality with fantastic elements. Magnificent scenes that for a moment caused me some anxiety (fellow cat lovers like cofras will understand).

For an hour and twenty minutes, you will be fascinated by the dynamics that will develop within the team of animals, and I think many will feel a certain emotion, like me, in witnessing the adventures that will put Flow to the test.

Show it to your offspring but most importantly, you adults should watch it. Give an opportunity to the genuine animation that our Europe is capable of creating.