“Films like this deserve to be seen by a big audience.”

Flow talks about the importance of being present in key moments of our lives to connect with ourselves.

Pablo Soto’ superb experimental film ‘Flow’ perfectly captures the essence of key moments in life by mixing a range of small stories that all fit together seamlessly. Soto expresses his creativity with this charming short that has a lot of meaning and substance within its short run time. It delivers an important message in a way that is both unique and powerful while connecting on a personal level.

The story is an intriguing one, and the direction for the film is inspiring. By mixing several stories into one it creates a level of depth and attention to detail that expresses Soto’ vision as a filmmaker. It also showcases a level of detail and creativity by the team as each story is worthy of being included, nothing feels added in. The locations in Spain are worth noting here as well as each scene really fits the narrative, they’re used to great effect and is the perfect backdrop for the story.

The cinematography from ‘Elías Soto’ is exceptional and captures each scene in a way that feels well crafted and thought out. The ambient and natural lighting create a filmic look that’s traditional and textured, something that is becoming more popular in short films but not to this calibre. The same can be said of the colour grade that gives the film a rich cinematic colour palette ideal for the silver screen. Each moment in the film is captured in a way that makes the audience feel close to the subject, making a personal connection with the story.

The subjects used in the film for each scene all work and don’t feel awkward by any means. We expect a few actors were used in the film for the more dramatic scenes but all of the other subjects worked as well. All in all the performances really worked and no one felt out of place.

The classical violin was a good choice to use as the building score which fits with the opening and closing scene. It gives the film a sense of elegance that doesn’t overwhelm the scenes. It’s subtle and suits the tone of the film as well as the emotion from each story. The sound design really pops as well as there is a lot of space to fill and really helps elevate the production value and story, something to be commended by the team.

Pablo Soto really has created a lasting film that may encourage viewers to reflect on their own moments in life by taking the time to focus and connect with them. It shows great promise in this young filmmaker and the rest of the team involved. Films like this deserve to be seen by a big audience…

— APEX Film Awards