The Latvian movie Flow (A) aka Straume) is an animated antidote and companion piece to Mad Max: Fury Road featuring assorted characters with survival on the mind careening on caravans toward a shared destiny. The characters in this human- and dialogue-free family adventure are all animals on a journey escaping an overpowering flood, and Gints Zilbalodis — director, co-writer, co-producer and co-musician — commandeers a master-class menagerie about navigating a world in crisis and the power of found family. The film follows a solitary animal named Cat who must find refuge and collaborate with other species on a boat after the deluge devastates their forest home. As the animals sail, often by boat, through mystical, overflowed landscapes, they overcome dangers while adapting to a transformed ecosystem. The beauty, scope and expression in this indie represent some of the most lovely animated work to ever reach the screen. The central feline is an utterly engaging protagonist, with each curious glance, curled nap, arched back, meow, yawn, hiss, leap or lurch amazingly authentic. Despite cats not loving water, this one becomes an avid fisherman to feed friends. The lavish world-building and thoughtfulness in rendering the ragtag ruffians including the resilient black cat, an organized ring-tailed lemur, a majestic secretarybird, a curious capybara and a spunky yellow Labrador demonstrate bountiful talent. Zilbalodis and team have crafted forces of nature including rushing torrents of water and flourishes of beauty including nature and man-made environments such as submerged cities with exquisite attention to detail. The filmmakers blend techniques of traditional cinema and open-world video games to create an immersive and dreamlike story. This gorgeous allegory takes viewers to a literal and metaphorical higher ground for greater empathy with lessons to impart for all ages. With a very quick running time of 85 minutes, be sure to stay for the brief post-credit sequence.