Docu-animation Flee tells the refugee story of Amin, a gay Afghan man who now resides safely in Copenhagen. 

Amin and his family were forced to leave Afghanistan when he was just a child and they endure a traumatic and harrowing journey until a point of peace is reached once Amin is an adult. His account is told through an interview with friend and filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen, who fleshes out Amin’s memories in vivid animated form.

Amin recalls the many challenges he and his family faced in search of asylum. One haunting sequence, in particular, showed his family’s terrifying experience stuck in a dark freight container attempting to cross into Scandinavia, leaving family members with mental scars from the trauma. Animation proves a powerful tool in portraying these experiences and memories that would otherwise not be possible via conventional documentary film methods. 

Despite the glaring ugliness of Amin’ past, Rasmussen is keen to highlight the moments of warmth and hope in his story. In particular, Amin’s journey with his own sexuality is a relative success. Coming from a place like Afghanistan where homosexuality is barely even a word in their language, Amin comes to terms with his interest in men from a very early age and while there are some challenges during adolescence, he learns to embrace his sexuality. There is a very touching sequence late in the film where his older brother reacts to Amin’s coming out by introducing him to a gay bar.

With Amin due to marry his partner soon after the film’s completion, Rasmussen’s attention to moments of warmth makes Flee stand out as a powerful but also hopeful film.

Flee is released in the UK on 11th February 2022