FLOW
Gints Zibalodis / Latvia 2024 / 85 min Cert U (Animation)
A black cat finds himself adrift in a post-apocalyptic world when a flood wipes out his forest home. Boarding a stray boat, he is joined by a needy dog, a mischievous ring-tailed lemur, a lazy capybara and a commanding secretary bird. Director Zibalodis has produced a totally immersive and exciting adventure film, whilst keeping the animal characters as themselves with very little anthropomorphism and no voice work whatsoever. Quietly ruminating on the damage we've inflicted on the planet, this is a startlingly sophisticated work, deservedly winning the Oscar for best animated feature 2025.