Mesmerizing from start to finish. With zero dialogue and pure action, Flow shows a fully-realized yet mystical world, one that appears to be ours in the future with just enough mystery to keep you wondering. It uses this setting to tell sweet, gentle story about different types of people who in another circumstance wouldn’t get along, but are forced to form a makeshift family in the midst of a crisis. Everyone gushes over the water effects, but the expression shown in animal movements is just as incredible.

What if Vertigo and Basic Instinct got together…and did not have a kid because some passions simply should not be sublimated. 

A detective thriller where frankly the mystery and crime can be totally ignored and instead one can focus on the intricate dance between the two leads. The shots are brimming with Hitchcockian energy. The raw energy of watching the clash between “raging sea” and the “virtuous mountain” plays out so beautifully and tragically for those involved.

Beautiful story, beautiful art, some of the most intense animation sequences. It’s a perfect thematic epilogue to Takahata’s work.

Just incredible storytelling and cinematography.