Remarkably moving in both its story and delivery, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated feature Flee is a must-watch. Expanding our idea of what a documentary can be, Flee‘s depiction of an Afghan refugee’s decades-long plight for survival and, most importantly, self-acceptance, is a deep well of emotional fragility. Executive produced by Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Flee was also the first film to be acquired (by NEON) from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
The film begins with a title card informing us that what we are about to watch is based on a true story, but some names and locations have been changed to protect identities and avoid persecution. For the next hour and a half, we become wrapped up in the life story of Amin Nawabi (a pseudonym) as he tells his harrowing journey of life as a young gay man who was always on the run from the police, the government, and his own feelings.
In a very poised, yet hesitant way, much like he is talking to a new therapist, Amin describes his earliest childhood memories as a three-year-old in Kabul, Afghanistan in the 1980s. A-ha’s ‘Take on Me’ plays under b-roll of live-action footage– a jarring reminder that despite the film’s mostly animated look, this is not make-believe. After his father mysteriously disappears and Amin and his brother risk getting drafted into the military–which might as well be a death sentence– the family flees Afghanistan with hopes and prayers as their only game plan.
What follows is horrifying abuse and multiple life or death situations while constantly crossing borders to cover their tracks. Forever in flux, it is hard to plan for the future when you’re forced to live a day at a time. Especially as a gay man, Amin’s fight for survival was his only goal.
Set against a haunting score by composer Uno Helmersson (The Painter and the Thief) and powerful uses of the tracks ‘Breathe In’ and ‘Help Me’ by the American-Icelandic artist Low Roar, Flee will put you through your own emotional journey. Mesmerizing visuals span throughout Amin’s life; from childhood to the present day, living in Stockholm with his partner, and even though it’s drawn in 2-D animation, we feel his pain. We see the tears well up in his eyes and sense the tension and anxiety he has carried around his entire life. And that last shot… just brilliant.
Flee is a remarkable feat for the entire filmmaking team and one of the most profound films I’ve seen in a long time.
This review originally ran on January 30, 2021, during the Sundance Film Festival.
Distributed by NEON. Opening in theaters this Friday.
