Last night me and my best friend went to see "Flow", a Latvian independent animated movie following the efforts of a group of animals - a cat, a secretarybird, a lemur, a capybara, and a dog - to survive in a flooded, post-human world.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect going in; I had watched the trailer but it only vaguely interested me, and more for the technical aspects of its animation than its story. The plot looked basic - cat goes on boat, has adventures (presumably including a waterfall, as is customary in media with boats), finds true friendship, roll credits. The movie itself was absolutely nothing like I expected, and I was profoundly moved by it.
While it ever actually touches on the question of human damage to ecology - and no humans appear - it is conspicuous in its absence. I don't quite agree with reviewers calling it an "ecological parable", but one can see the shadow of humanity's hubris as human structures - statues, buildings, a city - are submerged beneath the water.
On that note, one thing that stands out about Flow is that its main characters are genuinely animals - not funny cartoon animals, not animal-shaped humans. The film contains no dialogue, and the animals - for the most part - act in animalistic ways. Their characterization, while expressed entirely through animal sounds and body language, is sharp.
Go watch it, if you can find a showing. I'm going to have a separate post up shortly with some more in-depth thoughts, especially regarding the ending.
Got thoughts? Want to talk? You can find me on IRC (sunset on Libera) or email (sunset@arcanesciences.com).