--- title: "Flow: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/flow/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/flow" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 20 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Flow (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 20 reviews: 18 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews lean strongly positive: eighteen of twenty recommend it, and none dismiss it. The praise clusters almost entirely on the animation of the animals themselves: how the cat and its companions move, how much feeling their faces and bodies carry without a line of dialogue, and how the film resists turning them into people. Several critics also single out the low, cat-height camera and the sense of scale in the flooded world. The reservations, where they appear, concern the look and the tone rather than the story. Variety finds the animation technically rough in places; Vulture thinks its beauty can tip into something synthetic; Collider has similar doubts about the style and some of the more fantastical moments. The AV Club feels the slapstick sits awkwardly against the seriousness of the flood. The spread is narrow, running from warm to admiring, and no critic argues against seeing it. ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 5/5. 20 March 2025. The review calls the film mysterious, magical and worthy of Studio Ghibli. It praises the film’s timelessly beguiling quality. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/flow-review-2025) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2025. Nugent finds Flow a mesmerising, wondrous showcase for animation and a thoughtful story about collaboration. He especially praises its cinematic craft and lifelike animal movement, which make the wordless characters deeply affecting. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/flow/) ## IndieWire — Christian Blauvelt Rating A. 21 November 2024. Festival review. Blauvelt calls Flow a moving, groundbreaking animated film that feels both radical and widely accessible. He praises the animals’ lifelike movements and quiet, wordless portrayal, especially the cat’s expressive behavior. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/flow-review-animated-film-gints-zilbalodis-1235008455/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 94/100 (inferred from the text). 24 May 2024. Festival review. Rooney calls the film a deeply affecting, joyful animated adventure and praises its emotional storytelling. He especially singles out the vivid, hand-crafted-looking animation and the animals’ expressive movement. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/flow-review-animation-gints-zilbalodis-1235908248/) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2024. Abele calls “Flow” an enchanting, poignant triumph and praises its generous vision of animals learning to persevere together. He especially singles out the film’s fluid, shimmering imagery and behaviorally authentic animal characters. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-11-22/flow-review-animation-gints-zilbalodis-latvia) ## Slant Magazine — Steven Scaife Rating 4.5/5. 19 September 2025. Scaife praises the film as an immersive, wordless animated story that finds emotional depth without anthropomorphizing its animal characters. He especially commends how their expressions convey feeling and how the film’s images retain mystery without explanatory dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/flow-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-gints-zilbalodis/) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 4/4/4. 17 March 2025. Strong finds the film charming, warm and emotionally effective, with a gentle approach to its climate-catastrophe themes. She especially praises the lifelike animal behaviour and the heartfelt whale encounter, achieved with accessible animation software. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/flow) ## Screen Daily — Allan Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2024. Festival review. The review presents the film as a standout at Cannes. It singles out its tour-de-force animation about a cat and fellow tsunami survivors. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/flow-cannes-review/5194023.article) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2024. Festival review. The critic finds Flow sophisticated and engaging, praising its distinctive way of building empathy without dialogue. The animal behaviour and low, cat-height camera are singled out for making the story funny and visually distinctive. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/flow-charming-animal-odyssey-turns-its-limited-resources-into-strengths) ## The Guardian — Cath Clarke Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2025. Clarke finds the wordless animal adventure gorgeous and full of wonders. She especially praises its beautiful, painterly computer-generated animation and the animals’ lifelike movements. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/20/flow-review-oscar-winning-animation-is-a-beautiful-and-painterly-animal-adventure) ## The New York Times — Jeannette Catsoulis Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2024. The review is positive about this dialogue-free animated adventure. It singles out the film’s visual storytelling and animation for praise. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/movies/flow-review.html) ## The AV Club — Jacob Oller Rating B-. 19 November 2024. Oller finds Flow an engrossing, ambitious survival fable, though its slapstick comedy sometimes clashes with its apocalyptic seriousness. He praises the detailed animation and sound design for making the animals’ wordless world feel vivid and convincing. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/flow-review) ## Vulture — Alison Willmore Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2024. Willmore finds Flow charming and distinctive, though its visual beauty can become oppressively synthetic. She praises the animals’ expressive personalities and their convincing, unsentimental cooperation. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-flow-is-endearing-and-a-little-too-pretty.html) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 16 June 2024. Debruge finds the film captivating and endearing, though its animation has notable technical shortcomings. He praises the cat’s expressive behavior and the group’s journey toward mutual trust. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/flow-review-gints-zilbalodis-1236039346/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2024. Hammond calls the film a wondrous, haunting, and profound experience. He especially praises its gorgeous animation and the way its wordless animal adventure explores community. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/12/flow-review-latvias-international-film-oscar-entry-animation-perfection-1236195977/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 November 2024. Festival review. Kermode calls the film an engrossing adventure and a triumphant piece of filmmaking. She particularly praises its detailed, observant portrayal of animal movement and perspective. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/flow-2024-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## /Film — Rafael Motamayor Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 2024. Festival review. The critic calls Flow one of the year’s best animated films and a uniquely compelling take on the post-apocalypse. They single out its exquisite, picture-book-like animation and naturalistic portrayal of animals. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1604379/flow-best-post-apocalyptic-movie-year-cat-no-dialogue/) ## The Skinny — Heather Bradshaw Rating ★★★★. 17 March 2025. Bradshaw praises the film as an affecting, wordless environmental parable. She singles out its naturalistic animal characters and their compelling cooperation in the face of disaster. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/flow) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2024. The critic finds “Flow” harrowing and moving, despite its heavy-handed peril and climate-change allegory. They praise its breathtaking sense of scale and its quieter moments of animal behavior. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/flow-review-latvia-movie-oscar-entry/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 7/10. 22 November 2024. Bonaime finds Flow an impressive, experimental animated film, though its animation style and some fantastical moments hold it back. He especially praises how naturally the animals communicate and how much the dialogue-free story conveys. [Read the review](https://collider.com/flow-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/flow.md