Every so often there is a documentary that is so captivating that you can’t switch it off, such is the case with Flee on Hulu.
Nominated for three Oscars, Flee is a heart wrenching documentary that is about an Afghani family who try to escape Afghanistan during the difficult years of the 1990s.
The identities of these individuals have been kept secret, but instead of altering the voice or blurring the image, what the producers of this documentary have done is replace live footage with animation, with great success.
Flee brings a human voice to the world of human trafficking. It gives you an understanding of the desperation refugees go to for a better life, especially when they have been driven from their homes due to war.
Amin Nawabi retraces the steps to his arrival in Denmark. His mother and brother went to extraordinary steps to get their family resettled in a new country following the downfall of the Afghani Government to the current regime that imposed a lot of laws that suppressed the rights of many of the citizens.
Armin identifies as a member of the LGBT community and in Afghanistan a person who identifies as LGBT is ostracized and outcast by their family. Armin details a lot of his inner turmoil realizing that he was gay. But relocating to Moscow in the mid-1990s didn’t improve his situation, in fact it made matters worse and both Armin’s mother and brother worked tirelessly to get the family relocated to Europe at extraordinary costs.
The film was nominated this year in three categories at the Oscars including Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature and Best Animated Feature becoming the first film to be nominated in all three major categories.
Flee first gained notoriety with its release at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2021 and went on to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival. The firm has gone from strength to strength as it is a film that deserves the recognition for the heartbreaking story that needs to be seen and understood by a greater audience.
The remarkable thing about Flee is that it gives a platform to difficulties people face and the lengths they will go to just to end up in a country that will allow them to be their authentic self.
Flee is not your every day run of the mill documentary. It is a film that will open your eyes to the world of refugees and their plight. The helplessness and shame they feel when they have to often flee their homes in desperation to avoid certain death and how they pursue a life where they can be treated with respect and dignity.
When a documentary is done well it will sit with you for days and make you question your existence and how you can help such individuals who are facing similar difficulties and having to flee their homeland.
Flee is recommended for everyone who wants to have a greater understanding of the ongoing challenges refugees face and how every person deserves a peaceful existence.
Flee is currently available to stream on Hulu.
