The 33rd annual Philadelphia Film Festival runs October 17-27, 2024 and features over 100 films this year. Most films play twice and our own Justin Nordell will be sharing “Philly Film Fest Fast Reviews” to give you a taste of the festival so you can pick and choose which films to make for the second screenings!
In a year of exceptional animated films, if you were to tell me that one of the absolute best was going to be an independent film that also happens to be Latvia’s entry for the 2025 Best International Feature Academy Award… I don’t think I would’ve believed you. And yet Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow is one of the most beautifully rendered animations and stories that I’ve seen in quite some time.
A black cat quietly lives a peaceful life until a great flood comes and wipes out all that it has ever known. A boat drifts by and the cat makes it onboard, only to discover that it is not alone. A capybara, bird, lemur, and a dog are fellow passengers on this boat and these five very different animals must band together if they hope to survive in their harsh new reality. Without a single word of dialogue, Flow establishes each of these characters’ personalities and grows them throughout the course of the film to a truly heartfelt ending.
Conveying complex emotions and themes through beautiful imagery and remarkable sound design, Flow brings these five animals and their challenging new world to life. Children of all ages and adults left the first 33rd Philadelphia Film Festival screening with massive smiles across their faces: Flow is something unique and truly special that can be enjoyed by literally anyone. If there’s any justice, it would get a theatrical release as big as anything Disney puts out, but in the meantime, make sure you check it out at #PFF33
Grade: A-
Catch it at PFF33: Saturday, October 26th at 12:15pm at the PFS East
Tickets Available Here: https://prod5.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/ticketsearchcriteria.aspx?evtinfo=429908
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