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Flee

An animated journey from Afghanistan
by
ABR Arts 14 February 2022

Flee

An animated journey from Afghanistan
by
ABR Arts 14 February 2022
Still from <em>Flee</em> (courtesy of Madman Films)
Still from Flee (courtesy of Madman Films)

A teenager’s arduous journey from a Taliban-occupied Afghanistan in 1989 to the safe haven of Denmark is given a uniquely painterly treatment in Flee. Far from diminishing the story’s impact, this animated documentary is all the more profound for the insidious way the visuals undermine our defences.

Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen became friends with Amin soon after the Afghan refugee arrived in Denmark as an unaccompanied minor. Despite a friendship that has lasted twenty-five years, Amin had never told Jonas the full story of the harrowing experiences that led to his eventual asylum. He hadn’t told anyone. Through the course of Poher Rasmussen’s film, we find out why.