đŹ Straume (2024)

Chaos and Chuckles: Straume Unleashes Gints Zilbalodisâs Silent Symphony
Straume (released internationally as Flow), unleashed on August 29, 2024, in Latvia by Baltic Content Media, is a $3.7 million animated marvel thatâs grossed over $10 million globally by March 13, 2025, per early Box Office Mojo estimates. Directed by Gints Zilbalodis, who co-wrote and co-produced with MatÄ«ss KaĆŸa, this Latvian-French-Belgian co-production follows a black cat navigating a flooded, post-human world on a boat with a capybara, lemur, dog, and bird. Shot using Blender software over five years, its dialogue-free, 85-minute journey premiered at Cannes 2024âs Un Certain Regard, snagging acclaim and breaking Latvian box-office recordsâover 100,000 tickets sold, per Variety. A US limited release hit November 22, 2024, via Janus Films, expanding wide by December.
The chaos flows wildâwaters engulf ruins, animals clash then bond, per the trailerâs deluge of waves and screeches. Zilbalodis, inspired by Jacques Tati and Future Boy Conan, crafts a Noahâs Ark riffâcatâs solitude shatters as floods force teamwork, a silent ballet of survival. Chuckles rippleâthe lemurâs tail-swinging antics, the dogâs fish-chomping gleeâsoftening eco-dread, per Rotten Tomatoesâ 97% rating (Metacritic 87/100). Critics gush; NYTâs Calum Marsh lauds âauthenticity in peril,â X posts rave âcatâs odyssey slaps.â Oscars buzzâBest Animated Feature win January 2025âcements its triumph, per THR. A statue of the cat now graces Riga, per Wikipedia.
The pacingâs a currentâslow drifts on Earthâs wreckage surge into boat-bound chaos, a green sprout hinting hope, per IndieWireâs A-grade. Zilbalodisâs symphonyâno storyboards, all instinctâmarries chaos and chuckles, a silent epic thatâs Latviaâs loudest cinematic splash yet.
The cast is Straumeâs unspoken chorus, a chaotic menagerie voiced by nature. The black cat, a Zilbalodis creation voiced with real feline purrs and yowls (Ben Burtt-style, per Soundtrack World), is the soulâsolitary, then softened, its âmrrrowâ a universal cry, per LA Timesâs âheroic kitty.â The capybara, a baby camelâs grunt swapped for its shrill reality (Wikipedia), lumbers with calmâits splashy paddle a steady beat. The lemur, gamelan-tinged (THR), prancesâtail-flicking mischief earns laughs, per Varietyâs âjoker.â The Labrador retriever, all woofs and wags, boundsâits fish-gulping a chuckle fest, per X posts. The secretary bird, squawks sharp, stridesâa leader in feathers, per Roger Ebertâs ânatural cast.â
No humans, no dialogueâjust animal truth, recorded live (save that camel tweak), per Hollywood Reporter. Zilbalodisâs crewâanimators, sound wizardsâbreathes life; catâs wary glance, lemurâs yoga pose weave chaos with wit. The Guardian cheers âpure instinct,â though NY Times notes âbirdâs aloof.â X fans crow âcapybara MVPâ; theyâre a symphony of grunts and grins, a silent realmâs loud heart.
Visually and sonically, Straume is a chaotic flood, a Zilbalodis dreamscape. Rihards ZaÄŒupeâs animationâBlenderâs low-res sheenâpaints a drowned Earth: water shimmers photoreal, animals move raw, per Cinematography World. Chaos reignsâfloods swallow cliffs, boat rocks through rapidsâshot with virtual pans mimicking Tatiâs play, per AV Clubâs âhypnotic flow.â Underwater scenes gleamâfish dart, light bendsâthough Letterboxd quips âPS1 vibesâ on critters. Cannes clapped seven minutes, per Variety, a visual hymn to ruin and rebirth.
Zilbalodis and ZaÄŒupeâs scoreâclarinet for cat, kalimbas for capybaraâsoars, per Soundtrack Worldâs November 2024 Milan Records drop. Sound designâreal barks, chirpsâgrips; lemurâs âeee!â mid-storm chuckles, per Rolling Stoneâs âaudio awe.â No words, just musicâFuture Boy Conan echoes in brass, per IndieWire. Flaws? Animalsâ low-poly jarsâColliderâs âcheapââand third act drags, per BBCâs Mark Kermode. Still, itâs a sensory symphonyâchaos and chuckles in every frame, a silent realm that roars.
Straumeâs strength is its chaotic purityâa wordless fable with bite. The catâs âresilientâ arc (Time), the crewâs unity, and Zilbalodisâs vision stun; Roger Ebertâs Jake Coyle names it 2024âs best toon. Stakesâfloods, friendshipâpierce, per Empireâs âprofound.â Chuckles aboundâlemurâs tail-toy tease, dogâs âarf!â at fishâlifting eco-grief, a 2024 balm post-Inside Out 2, per Box Office Mojo. Its Latvian recordâmost-viewed ever, per THRâand global run (Mexicoâs 800 theaters, January 2025) spark sequel talk Zilbalodis nixed, per Variety. X posts muse âOscar cat FTW,â a silent hit reborn on streams.
Weaknesses ripple. The plotâs thinâNY Timesâs âsimpleââand repetition (boat, peril, repeat) drags, per Metacriticâs 87/100 dip. Animals charm, but depth lacksâThe Guardianâs âsurface.â Still, 85 minutes mesmerize; Rotten Tomatoesâs âirresistibleâ trumps gripes. Legacy? Latviaâs first Oscar, a Riga statue, per Wikipediaâa cultural quake. At 9/10, itâs a chaotic, chuckle-laced triumphâraw, radiant, revolutionary. For animation buffs or cat lovers, itâs a must; a silent symphony that sings loud.