Away: a motorbike, a bird and the journey home
A boy crosses an island on a motorbike while an enormous dark figure follows him. Gints Zilbalodis’s first feature, before Flow, builds its journey through landscapes, movement and music, without dialogue.
Away still: Meteor Film material. Trailer published by Gints Zilbalodis.
A journey with someone behind
The story opens with a boy hanging from a parachute on an unfamiliar island. A dark figure appears in the distance and approaches. Finding a motorbike allows him to move on; a small yellow bird becomes his companion. That starting point, described by the distributor, brings together the journey’s two driving forces: finding a way out and keeping ahead of the shadow.[3]
Watching the road
Without dialogue, the distance between the boy and the landscape tells part of the story. The trailer shows a small motorbike among open spaces, lakes and mountains. Zilbalodis explains that he improvised the camera within the 3D settings: he could find a different framing or follow the character in a long take. His own music accompanies that movement.[4][8][3]
Before Flow, a film made alone
Away is a Latvian feature from 2019. The National Film Centre of Latvia confirms that Zilbalodis made it alone and won Annecy’s Contrechamp award. That background offers another reason to approach the film: seeing how its creator brought direction, animation and music together around a journey without conversations explaining each step.[1][3]
Echoes of Journey
Zilbalodis names Journey and Shadow of the Colossus among his influences, alongside Studio Ghibli films. They are inspirations for his film; he does not present it as an adaptation of those games.[5]
Spoilers · more about the story and the shadow
Escaping is not the only reason to keep moving. The director explains that the boy initially finds a safe place where he could stay. He chooses to leave it to find other people and return home. Going back means risking the safety he already had: home can also mean a connection with someone.[5]
Janus’s synopsis describes a route through an oasis, a mirror lake, a dream well and a cloud harbor. The boy and bird help one another through gorges, geysers and waterfalls. The film is arranged in four chapters: the landscape changes, and moving away from the giant takes more than riding a motorbike.[6][7]
The shadow leaves room for different readings. Zilbalodis personally connects it with the anxiety, deadlines and doubts that followed him while making the film alone. In another interview, he explains that he did not conceive it as an evil entity. His account adds another layer to the pursuit while leaving room for viewers’ own interpretations.[7][8]
Sources and checks
Links point to sources. They are not endorsements or sponsorships.
- [1] National Film Centre of Latvia · trayectoria de ZilbalodisFilm body · Checked on 7 October 2026
- [2] Gints Zilbalodis · tráiler oficial de AwayCreator · Checked on 7 October 2026
- [3] Meteor Film · edición de AwayDistributor · Checked on 7 October 2026
- [4] Gints Zilbalodis · Away Trailer 1Creator · Checked on 7 October 2026
- [5] Film-Rezensionen · entrevista a Gints Zilbalodis (Oliver Armknecht)Creator interview · Checked on 7 October 2026
- [6] Janus Films · Away, sinopsis y créditosDistributor · Checked on 7 October 2026
- [7] Cinema Management Group · dossier de Away (Cinéast 2019)Press kit with creator interview · Checked on 7 October 2026
- [8] Animation Scoop · entrevista a Gints Zilbalodis (Jackson Murphy)Creator interview · Checked on 7 October 2026
Revision history · Version 5
— First pilot edition. Independent review pending.
— Synopsis attributed to Meteor; running time attributed to the director, preserving the discrepancy. Removed the unrevalidated Tokyo listing.
— Rewritten using the approved Merlies standard: concrete actions and examples, checked sources and consolidated limitations. Separate review and approval pending.
— Replaced Vimeo playback with the director’s official YouTube trailer after observing a connection restriction. Article text and the Vimeo reference are retained.
— Added a spoiler section closed by default and expanded sources with direct interviews, a press kit and Janus synopsis; clarified video-game influences.
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