It’s not enough to call Sundance award winner Flee simply an animated documentary. A powerful mix of narrative storytelling and harrowing real-life events, the film centers on Amin Nawabi, a gay man from Afghanistan who is still struggling to cope with his past as a child refugee.
The film is directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, and has gathered together the likes of Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as producers, to get a sense of the impact it has made. Amin tells his story through interviews, recounting the trauma of his childhood and why he’s kept the details secret from his partner who he is about to marry.
Reviews out of Sundance were through the moon, with the film coming away with a Grand Jury Prize. Based on the new trailer it reminds me of Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir, both in style and substance.
NEON will release Flee in theaters this fall.
Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner FLEE tells the story of Amin Nawabi as he grapples with a painful secret he has kept hidden for 20 years, one that threatens to derail the life he has built for himself and his soon-to-be husband. Recounted mostly through animation to director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, he tells the story of his extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan for the first time.
