Amin Nawabi didn’t do anything to deserve this. That’s the thought that lingers in your mind as you watch Flee, the heartbreaking story of a gay Afghan refugee’s journey. Amin, telling in hindsight the story of his displacement as a youth, is a normal person with very relatable aspirations. But like so many people who become political refugees, he’s been thrust into a situation he didn’t create in a world that just isn’t concerned with making sure he’s OK.
Told through a similar style of hand-drawn animation to the one that brought 2007’s seminal documentary Waltz With Bashir to life, Flee is another reminder that documentaries don’t have to consist solely of talking heads and related B-roll. The way it merges animation and a nonfiction narrative feels like an exciting step forward for this style of filmmaking, one that never sacrifices the heart of its story. Amin’s tale is a good litmus test — if you don’t feel deeply for him and his family considering what they had to go through after fleeing their home amid conflict, you likely have a heart of stone. Flee invites its audience to not just sympathize with Amin’s struggles, but to imagine a world where refugees always find a new home without any further strife.
Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen does great work balancing the tragedy of Amin and his family’s displacement with their remarkable spirit, zeroing in on those little moments in the midst of turmoil that help keep you grounded. The documentary resists sensationalism, and shares Amin’s story only how he tells it. Flee could quite possibly become the first film in Oscar history to be nominated for Best Animated Film, Best Documentary and Best International Film, and it represents a step forward in the way we tell refugees’ stories, and how we tell nonfiction stories in general. If you find the journey exhausting by film’s end, just imagine what it was like for Amin.
That’s Flee’s greatest victory: It’s not only a stellar piece of filmmaking — it’s got the power to change hearts.
