Flee – Movie Review
89 minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by Amin Nawabi and Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Synopsis:
Flee tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
Documentaries are becoming something of a fixture in our viewing repertoire, of late.
And this one is something special.
Told in a hybrid style that blends archival footage and animation, Flee is the raw-nerve recounting of the life of a man, Amin, and his family, as their life in Afghanistan barely survives (or not) through the fall of democracy, the invasion by Russia, the civil war supported by the United States, and the rise of the Taliban.
The animation, of course, is to provide a sense of anonymity to Amin, who admits his asylum claim after reaching safety was based on a lie: that his entire family was dead.
And, of course, the stylistic differences in the animated segments reflect his varying states of mind and even his very existence, ranging from stagnant (clean, conventional style) to manic or almost surreal (sketchy, unfinished, lacking detail).
Ultimately, though, this stylistic trickery takes a back seat to the very real story of Amin and his family, and that of countless millions of people around the world who find themselves trapped outside the known, the safe, and the reality of the various methods they employ in an attempt to find some semblance of safety, and to ultimately reunite with their scattered family members.
It doesn’t always work.
After fleeing Afghanistan for Russia, Amin’s sisters are eventually sent via trafficker to Sweden, where their oldest brother awaits.
They are moved, trapped in a shipping container, on a cargo ship… for weeks.
Though they physically survive the journey, they have been through hell.
Amin, his other brother, and mother all attempt to move themselves out of Russia (where they are continually harassed by the corrupt police because the tourist visas they used to flee initially are long expired), only to find themselves on a forced march through winter forests to board a smuggling boat.
Engine failure, near sinking, and a near-miss rescue by a cruise ship ends with a return to Russia in the custody of the police and confinement to what is effectively a prison.
Eventually, Amin is smuggled out and makes his way to Copenhagen, where is able to eventually re-connect with his siblings in Sweden.
Over time, Amin builds a life for himself, with a respected professional career, but is still unnerved by his past, and finds himself unable to move forward with his personal life with his partner, Kasper, who wishes for marriage and a home together.
Home: a place Amin has long been without; at least he has not had a place without the looming fear of losing it both physically and emotionally, as he has spent his life hiding another secret from his family (the home he fought so long to regain): Amin is gay. And Muslim.
Will that secret cost him the home his heart has longed for, fought for, and nearly died for?
After everything else he has endured?
Flee is an incredible true story, one which offers much to consider and to learn from.
It is currently nominated for three Academy awards, including Best Animated Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature, and Best International Feature Film.
And it’s worthy of them all.
Flee is currently streaming on Hulu, and can be watched with either subtitles or with an English dub. (I watched with subtitles.)
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