June 3rd, Movie 4

At the Oscars this past nominations, one film received nominations in Best Animated Film, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Documentary, which, although it did not win any of them, was an amazing feat for Flee and the first time any film had been nominated for all three in a single year. So I found the film on Vudu and placed it squarely in The June Swoon.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, “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 for the first time the story of his extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan.”

The story of Flee is a true one, though the name Nawabi has been changed to protect the identity of the main subject. It is told beautifully through an interview with Amin, who reflected back on his childhood and his attempts to flee the country of Afghanistan and the country of Russia. It showed amazing specifics of the immigrant experience that has been so controversial over the last several years.

The animation style is beautiful and the creators also use many real life videos to help illustrate the story around Amin.

The situations that Amin had to face were harrowing and told brilliantly. It was absolutely deserving of the three Oscar noms.