As the opening scenes of Gints Zilbalodis' beautiful, wordless Latvian animated film Flow began to unfold on the screen, I had a moment of déjà vu. The image of a small black cat with huge big eyes frantically navigating a green forest during a shocking catastrophe – I had seen it before. The panicking animals, the feeling of a nightmare closing in on them all, the contrast between the cat's cartoonish style and its believable feline reactions to danger – they all seemed so familiar. At some point, I realized why: I remembered the opening scenes of China's captivating 2019 animated film The Legend of Hei.
The Legend of Hei begins in a simple place: Hey, the black cat, resting peacefully (and enchantingly) in his forest home and communicating with the little nature spirits who live there. However, once something goes wrong, events escalate quickly – so quickly that it's easy to fall behind if you don't already know about the world in which he lives.
The journey of discovery will be an enjoyable experience for viewers who prefer to see films completely unadulterated – if that's you, I'd recommend not reading any further (or watching the trailer below) until you've seen the film, because it's impossible to discuss They even explain the basic structure without addressing things that the film doesn't initially reveal. Just be aware that what initially seems like a cute animal story turns into an epic adventure, replete with extremely gritty supernatural battles and a sense of melancholy about the state of the environment that goes well with it Flow's gentle elegiac tone.
And while these opening scenes may look visually simple, The Legend of Hei Mirror Flow by placing a visually straightforward cartoon character at the center of a much richer backdrop, contrasting his stripped-down look with the vastness and richness of the world around him.
Image: MTJJ Animation/Crunchyroll
The Legend of Hei As a film, it has a complicated backstory. Hei first appeared in a 2011 animated Chinese web series titled The Legend of Luo Xiaoheiwhich expanded into comics in 2015 and eventually became a mobile game called Luo Xiaohei Wars: The Demon Spirit Book. Different websites have transcribed the film's title differently or confused it with the series, making online searches a bit cumbersome and confusing – Prime Video, for example, streamed it under the title for a while The Legend of Luoxiaohei.
But the film itself stands reasonably well on its own, without the background in the other forms of the story. Since it is a prequel to the web series, viewers are not expected to know Hei's story or background. But anchoring it in the world of the film can be helpful, because the little black cat from the first forest scene is much more than it seems. (Spoilers about this ahead, although it is also included directly in this trailer.)
As it turns out, Hei isn't just a cat – he's a young feline spirit who was displaced by construction work in his forest. He is a capable fighter compared to people his age, but he is not particularly disciplined or experienced and resembles the black cat at the center FlowIn dangerous situations, he follows his instincts and fluctuates between fight and flight. But he's also a warlike, proud little cat who leans more towards the “fighting” end of the balancing beam. And that keeps getting him into trouble.
Things become particularly problematic when he comes into conflict with an ancient war between ghost factions. Some spirits are deeply angered by humanity's encroachment on the wilderness and want to reclaim the land from which they emerged, driving out the people and destroying the cities they built. Other spirits have other plans. Caught between them, Hei initially sympathizes with the one who shows him kindness (and feeds him – one of the many particularly cat-like things about him is his appetite and how easily but temporarily food can overcome his distrust).
One of the greatest joys of The Legend of Hei is that for most of its running time it doesn't lean entirely in any direction as to which side Hei should choose and which side is best-intentioned. This is not a simple good versus evil story. But it's a story about extremely powerful supernatural forces. When they meet, the film takes on a tense, nervous tone that's a world away from the opening forest sequences. It reflects ideas that Studio Ghibli co-founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata would certainly identify with.
Image: MTJJ Animation/Crunchyroll
Some of the topics in The Legend of Hei I feel familiar with Takahata Pom Pokoalso about displaced forest spirits who are figuring out how to deal with the spread of humanity and the plundering of green spaces. This film is far more comedic than The Legend of Heibut they share a sense of righteous anger and a sense of unpredictability. Despite it, The Legend of Hei looks more like this in the end Suzume at the end, or any other anime or donghua film where great magical forces collide in a city setting.
Once The Legend of Hei switches to action mode, it has much less in common with Flow – the contrast between a wordless film and a film in which the characters begin every battle with manifestos (including – perhaps particularly – the battle for hearts and minds) can be quite fierce. But the core feeling of a world out of balance and a small, vulnerable cat caught up in forces far beyond his control or understanding remains in both. Flow ends up feeling like an alternative path The Legend of Heiwhere we start in the same place and explore some of the same themes, but explore what those ideas would look like if the protagonist really was just a cat.
They are completely different experiences presented in completely different animation styles. But they're both heartfelt and sweet, alternating frantic action with moments of sad, quiet emotion. Both are about unlikely bonds and family found, about the difficulty of dealing with other people with their own needs and desires (for humans and animals alike). And they are both visually bold and stylized, setting them apart from better-known Western or Japanese animation. They make the best kind of double feature: two films that approach similar ideas from completely different directions, but have just enough in common to feel like a deliberate conversation between two works of art.
Flow is now available in limited release in New York and Los Angeles and expands to wide release on December 6th. The Legend of Hei keeps streaming , TubeAnd Plexand can be rented or purchased digitally on online platforms.
