Flow

This screenshot doesn't do it justice. It's stunning.

Movie: Flow

Running Time: 1:30

Nominated for: Animated Feature, International Feature

How I watched: Prime

When it had me: Kitty!

When it lost me: confusion about the world

What systems does it challenge: Individualism

A movie with no dialog and I felt compelled to talk through the entire thing. Good thing I got to watch at home. I think I would have slept if I had to stay silent.

A kitty, a capybara, a lemur and a labrador team up to survive a flood. Super cute buddies that you immediately are pulling for with everything you have. The animated reflections on water are quite the flex and are likely to earn the Oscar.

I got confused because it seemed so realistic but then the animals know how to steer a boat (?) and the whales look different than in our reality. And I got really curious about the symbolism of the bird and other story points but then I just tried not to overthink it because I had to be worried about how a capybara would climb onto a boat. (He does it off screen.)  It's a cute and enjoyable movie with gorgeous animation that shows the strength of community in times of upheaval.