This cinematically stunning fantasy film minus dialogue sends an important message about survival: work together or die. The film has been getting a lot of attention since it won the Un Certain Regard award at the Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination.
It is Latvian Director Gints Zilbalodis’ second animated film this time co-writing with Matiss Kaža and working with a team of young filmmakers in Latvia, France and Belgium. There were no story boards and no actors to voice the characters, nor provide narration. His goal was to get the audience involved in interpreting this hour and a half tale of animal behavior during a raging flood where a cat and his acquired menagerie end up on a journey together.
The lead is a cat has with no name, but big expressive eyes and a large range of vocalizations. Zilbalodis used the sounds of actual animals for his characters, all but one that he thought was too screechy. These different animals find themselves, literally, in the same boat. We follow the black cat with orange eyes, interacting with a ring-tailed Lemur, a Capybara, a Labrador Retriever, a secretary bird, deer herds and even a whale. There are no words nor subtitles, but you will be enthralled watching their story unfold without any need for explanation.
The animation of the movement of water is a character in itself, whether calm, flowing or raging. The cat spends a lot of time in the water, mostly trying to keep out of it. And the way Zilbalodis and his team surge the tsunami-like flood is frightening against the backdrop of the half submerged buildings left in its wake. The animation style is sparse and simple on a limited budget with Zilbalodis concentrating on what the camera needs to show up front, so there is not a lot of detail for the village which seems to soften in the background.
How the journey of the characters progresses shows how these disparate species who would not normally interact, learn to cooperate and trust each other for the common good. Emotions range from hope to despair, fear to wonder and then from mistrust to friendship while dealing with a drastically altered environment. There is a lot of action as the water rages where they encounter dire circumstances.
This film is understandably getting notice and Zilbalodis is pleased with the response he is getting from audiences reacting in all the right places. Filmmaker Zilbalodis hopes those who see it “find comfort in its message” of cooperation, acceptance and friendship. Despite no dialogue, we were completely engaged and emotionally connected to the characters in this uniquely crafted cat tale.
Sideshow/Janus Films 1 hour 24 minutes. PG No dialogue
In select theaters now
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