by Matt St Clair
Flee, now playing in limited release, is transcendent. The animated memoir could break records by competing in three Feature categories: Animated Feature, Documentary Feature, and, because it’s the Danish submission, Best International Feature. Both Collective and Honeyland recently made history recently by competing in the latter two categories simultaneously, but no film has found itself in contention for all three. Flee might accomplish this historic feat, but it should go even further by also being nominated for Best Picture.
A nomination would allow the glass ceiling for documentaries to finally break. In the ceremony’s soon-to-be 94-year history, no documentary has ever competed in the top category...
We’ve seen foreign language and animated films crack the Best Picture field (and other fields, too) despite having their own category to be honored in but documentaries rarely get love outside of their own category. The Best Picture award should be bestowed on what voters think is the best movie of the year regardless of whether it’s animated, live action, English, non-English, a Netflix film or a Universal picture, fiction or nonfiction, etcetera; the award is called "Best Picture" without any specificity as to what kind.
With its dazzling animation blended with scenes of real-life archival footage, Flee is a visual feat that shows how bold documentary filmmaking can be. Flee follows the life of Amin, a long-time friend of director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, who shares his story of living in war-torn Afghanistan and his journey towards settling in Denmark to avoid captivity and deportation.
When we get to scenes of younger Amin on his treacherous road, and moments involving Amin’s family as they separate from him, the charcoal drawing sequences create a fuzzy portrait of what’s taking place. This technique emphasize the harrowing trauma of these formative moments. These are memories he either vaguely holds or tries to erase, the real-life events could well have been more horrific.
Additionally, Flee follows Amin slowly came to terms with his homosexuality, giving the film’s title another meaning. He doesn't just flee his fhome country, but discusses the feeling of fleeing from yourself. Putting on a guise out of fear that other people won’t accept you as you are, is an unfortunately relatable experience. Amin’s coming out journey is handled with sensivity and even some levity. One joyous moment happens between Amin and a fellow migrant he has a crush on bonding over their love of the pop hit “Joyride” by Roxette.
While Amin was able to settle in a new home, start a new life and find a companion, not many refugees are as lucky as he. Especially those from countries with strict anti-LGBTQ laws. The fact that Amin was able to survive, and brave enough to recall his traumatic past, gives Flee its shattering power while the animation makes it a vivid cinematic experience.
Flee might not have as flashy a narrative as the “preserve the theatrical experience” pull that films like Dune and West Side Story possess nor does it have the same escapist feel as presumed frontrunners Belfast and King Richard. Yet, it still deserves consideration for pushing the envelope on animated and documentary filmmaking and for forcing us to open our eyes to real world happenings in the way that sometimes only great documentaries can. As hard as a story like this might be to watch at times, keep in mind that watching it isn’t as hard as it is for those like Amin who have, and are, living it.
More on the Best International Feature Race
The Eligibility List for Best Documentary Feature