Flow Beat Sheet Analysis

Why We Chose to Do a Save a Cat! Beat Sheet Analysis of Flow

Among its many accolades, Flow won the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature Film, along with the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, Animated and the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film.

The film is especially noteworthy because it has no human characters and no dialogue. Yet it hits the Save the Cat! beats beautifully and has a theme that resonates: it is in the company of others that we find fulfillment and are made whole as we learn to cooperate.

Flow

Screenplay by: Gints Zilbalodis and Matiss Kaza. Adaptation by: Ron Dyens
Directed by: Gints Zilbalodis

Genre: Golden Fleece – Buddy Fleece

The 3 elements of a GOLDEN FLEECE story are:

1) A road spanning oceans, time—or across the street—so long as it demarcates growth. It often includes a “Road Apple” that stops the trip cold.
2) A team or a buddy the hero needs to be guided along the way. Usually, it’s those who represent the things the hero doesn’t have: skill, experience, or attitude.
3) A prize that’s sought and is something primal: going home, securing a treasure, or re-gaining a birthright.

Golden Fleece – Buddy Fleece Cousins: A Real Pain; Emilia Pérez;  Little Miss Sunshine; Y Tu Mamá También; Motorcycle Diaries; L’Aventura; On the Road; Easy Rider; Stranger Than Paradise; Thelma & Louise; Finding Nemo; The Wizard of Oz; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; National Lampoon’s Vacation; One Piece Pilot (TV); Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Save the Cat! Beat Sheet Analysis for Flow

Opening Image

A cat stares at its reflection in the water, alone.

Set-Up

Frightened by the sound of barking dogs, the cat heads home to an abandoned cabin. Walking past wooden statues of cats, signs of a former civilization, the cat settles amidst the carvings and glass globes strung to the ceiling.

The next morning, the cat heads to the river to search for fish. High above the river, resting in the tree branches, sits a wooden boat, another hint of an environmental disaster.

Soon, a pack of dogs rushes to the river bank, one of them grabbing a fish and fighting over it with another dog. In the struggle, they drop the fish, which is quickly scooped up by the cat under the watchful eyes of a golden retriever that seems to show kindness.

This is the cat’s thesis world, one of survival. In a world without humans, the cat appears content, but no one can survive alone for long; it’s stasis=death unless something forces the cat out of its comfort zone.

Theme Stated

The story is unique in that there is no dialogue at all. While the theme is not directly stated by another character, the thematic premise is clear: it is in the company of others that we find fulfillment and are made whole as we learn to cooperate.

Catalyst

Hiding, the cat is startled when the dogs and a herd of deer rush past. Soon after, the roar of water follows, and a flood envelops the cat.

Debate

Washed downstream, the cat clings to a tree for safety. The retriever grabs hold of the same branch as the cat tries to bat the dog away, only for the branch to snap. Swept downstream, the cat arrives on the bank and hurries home, followed by the dog, who has been separated from his pack.

Along the way, the animals meet a secretary bird, but quickly flee to safety from the predator. Back at the cabin, the cat tries to return to its daily routine, climbing back to the bed on the top floor. This time, though, the dog waits outside, barking for attention. Not only will the dog not leave, but to make matters worse, the water level is rising, inching closer to the cabin. What should the cat do? How will it survive? How high will the water go?

Distant barking signals the arrival of the other dogs, who have found themselves a boat, and as they float past, the retriever jumps aboard. Alone again, the cat must decide what to do. Gazing to the large rock cat statue in the distance, the cat races to it, climbing the scaffolds to the top. But even that isn’t high enough. Sitting on the statue’s head, the cat must climb to the tip of the ears until the water overcomes those, too. Luckily, a boat approaches, and as the cat jumps in, it is greeted by a lone capybara that is also trying to survive.

Break into Two

As a storm tosses the boat, the capybara lounges in a dry compartment while the cat endures the torrential rain. Finally, the cat chooses to trust the other creature and lies down under the shelter next to the capybara. In this story, all of the animals will share an A Story goal: to get to higher ground and survive the deluge.

B Story

As the cat seeks refuge, it will encounter other animals in a similar predicament. The relationship that forms among them will help the cat learn and discover that rather than being alone, others bring value to life.

Fun and Games

Now afloat with the capybara, the cat is in an upside-down antithesis world, one in which it can no longer be solitary, but must work with others. The promise of the premise is all about survival and cooperation among different species in this post-apocalyptic world.

As the boat floats on, the cat notices a flock of secretary birds overhead, swooping down to scoop up fish. After the cat falls overboard from avoiding a diving bird, it almost drowns, but is soon rescued by a whale. Just then, a secretary bird grasps it and flies forward until ultimately dropping the cat back down in the boat.

Safe again, the cat and capybara steer the boat to a small concrete island, discovering a lemur collecting shiny objects and placing them in a basket. The capybara grabs the basket and drags it onto the boat, forcing the lemur to join them just as its living space is swallowed up by the rising waters.

In the distance, the cat spies towering rocks, surely the safest and highest space. As the boat sails toward it, the animals discover another island with a windmill. Stepping ashore, the cat is greeted by the retriever, once again separated from its pack. While the dog is excited to see the cat, the feeling isn’t mutual.

The secretary bird appears, but instead of attacking the cat, it drops a fish at the cat’s feet. Just as the cat is about to enjoy the gift, two other secretary birds arrive, chasing the cat away. Gazing down the hill, the cat sees the flock, but the dog clumsily bounds into the cat, and the animals roll down in front of the birds of prey.

Just as the other birds are about to attack, the friendly secretary bird steps in to defend the cat and its companions. The result is a fight between the fowl, the alpha bird asserting its dominance by injuring the friendly bird’s wing. Now, it cannot fly along with the flock.

Midpoint

As the flock takes off, all five animals are together as A and B Stories cross. The stakes are raised and the time clocks begin to tick; the water shows no signs of receding; and the pillars of rock are still far in the distance.

Bad Guys Close In

As the secretary bird takes over the tiller, using its tall stature to balance and steer, the cat tries to imitate it, standing on its hind legs. But it isn’t long until the external bad guys begin to appear as these five distinct creatures attempt to survive together.

Another boat full of lemurs passes by, the simians boarding the cat’s boat and examining the lemur’s basket of belongings. The cat scares them off, and the boat continues to sail through the ruins of a city. When the dog begins to play fetch with the lemur’s glass orb, the orb flies over the edge. The lemur tries to steer using the tiller, wanting to go back for the object, but the secretary bird refuses to relinquish control.

Unfortunately, in the scuffle, the mast is caught in some trees, and the boat is stuck. When the whale reappears and jumps out of the water, the resulting splash frees the boat, but it also causes the cat to fall overboard. This time, though, the cat begins to learn from the capybara, watching it swim underwater. Soon, the cat begins to catch fish for them all to eat, swimming and hunting like a natural. After collecting a pile of fish, it sets one at the feet of the secretary bird.

The animals begin to get on each other’s nerves as the journey continues, and more dissent surfaces as barking is heard in the distance: the pack of dogs is stranded in a bell tower, surrounded by flood waters. All of the animals try to convince the secretary bird to steer over to the canines, but the bird doesn’t budge. After getting permission from the cat, the secretary bird relents, walking away in frustration. When the cat tries to sit near it, the secretary bird snaps at it.

As the dogs board, it seems as if the secretary bird’s instinct was right; the dogs don’t respect the lemur’s belongings, and they eat all the fish. This is the opposite of the cooperation the other animals achieved.

All Is Lost

Arriving at the base of the tall stone formations, the creatures are confronted with the wreckage of many boats that have crashed, their inhabitants nowhere to be found in an eerie whiff of death. A storm surges, and in an attempt to steer the boat to safety, the tiller breaks. The cat falls from his perch on the mast and is knocked unconscious.

Dark Night of the Soul

Waking after the storm settles, the cat sees the secretary bird fly to the island with its injured wing. Jumping from the boat, the cat follows the bird, climbing the massive stone structure. At the top, it discovers its friend, A and B Stories meeting. The two companions are suddenly lifted into the air, weightless, but the secretary bird flies into a bright light, leaving the cat behind forever. Alone again, the cat actually misses its companion.

Break into Three

The cat rushes to reach the boat and find its friends. In this synthesis world, the cat is no longer solitary. However, the boat has sailed away, and the cat is unable to swim out through the rough waters in time. The cat comes upon the floating glass orb and clings to it, just as the waters suddenly recede as the earth groans.

Finale

The water continues to lower until the cat finds itself on dry land again. Exploring the area, it discovers remnants of the lemur’s basket of shiny possessions. Soon, the cat discovers a colony of lemurs, but doesn’t find its friend. As the cat heads deeper into the wooded area, a lemur follows… the companion from the journey!

The lemur leads the cat to the boat with the dogs and capybara, but in a high tower surprise, the boat is up in a tree hanging over a cliff. As the dogs jump out, the tree branch begins to crack, the capybara stuck on board. After saving the capybara, the cat sees a stampede run past them, just like when the flood first started.

The cat dashes away in a fear of the unknown, but soon finds itself in a glade with a strange sight: the whale is stranded on land and dying. Digging deep down, the cat decides not to flee and moves over to comfort the whale in its final moments, nuzzling it.

Final Image

As the retriever, lemur, and capybara catch up with the cat, the four of them stop before a puddle of water. The cat gazes into it, but this time, he’s not alone in the reflection looking back at him.