Flee is a wonderful animated docudrama
In the past few years, animation has been used as a tool to tell stories that are too difficult to realise in live action. Films like Persepolis or The Breadwinner bring to life compelling recreations of real-life conflicts, often seen through the eyes of children. Nominated for three Oscars this week, Flee continues that tradition in an unforgettable fashion.
Told with animated visuals and documented audio, director Jonas Poher Rasmussen interviews Amin Nawabi, his close friend from his school days in Denmark. Now both adults, Jonas is curious about his friend’s past as a refugee from Afghanistan, which Amin never talks about, even to his fiancé Jasper. Finally sitting down to record his story, he goes back to his childhood in 1980s Kabul, where Amin, his siblings and mother attempt to flee to avoid getting caught up in the nearby war.
What follows is a startling tale of suffering, ingenuity, and courage. Amin and his family travel to Moscow with hopes of getting to Sweden, waiting in apartments while relatives raise cash to pay of human traffickers, and desperately avoiding authorities. Magnificently animated, it’s the story of people fighting to have the chance to live their lives, told in an unfussy manner.
Amin is fascinating as he narrates his entire story through this conversation. The trauma and desperation are so matter-of-fact, highlighted through the small moments of levity he finds in his recollections. His secret crushes on Jean-Claude Van Damme or a fellow refugee are disarming moments of realism. This isn’t a talking head interview edited for shock value, it’s two friends talking. To his credit, Jonas never seems to be exploiting Amin, only taking the story as far as he is comfortable.
The reward for that tenderness is a look into the real effects of what Amin went through. The fear doesn’t end at his destination, as he focuses on the guilt he feels about his sexuality. Most endearing is the pressure to make something of the opportunity he has been given, to the extent that it prevents him from settling down. His story is humbling, as is the uncomfortable notion that there are millions living similar stories right now.
A lot of awards films leave you with something to think about, but Flee and Amin’s story is different. The most sincere and graceful film you’re likely to see this year, it’s a story that demands your attention. See it, in a cinema, and tell your friends to do the same.