Flee is a 2021 independent adult animated documentary film directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen.
The film is based on the true story of Amin Nawabi, a man who fled his home country of Afghanistan to Denmark as a refugee. The film follows Amin's journey from his childhood in Kabul to his present life in Denmark, where he is on the verge of marriage and must confront his hidden past for the first time.
The film is presented in the form of an animated documentary, with animated scenes depicting Amin's past and present, interspersed with archival footage. Amin shares his story with director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, who has known Amin since they were teenagers. Amin's story begins with his childhood in Kabul, where he lived with his mother, sisters, and older brother. After the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, the family fled Kabul due to the impending invasion by mujahideen forces. They flew to Russia, where they met Amin's oldest brother Abbas, who was living in Sweden. Abbas arranged for human traffickers to smuggle the family to Sweden. Amin's sisters were the first to be smuggled, being placed on a freight container on a cargo ship with dozens of other refugees. The two survived but were traumatized due to the difficulty of the journey.
Flee has received widespread critical acclaim, with a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 91/100 rating on Metacritic. The film was praised for its animation, story, thematic content, subject matter, and LGBT representation. It won several awards, including the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary section at the Sundance Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and Best Animated Feature — Independent at the 49th Annie Awards. Flee is a powerful and poignant exploration of the refugee experience, told through the lens of Amin's personal journey.