I can think of no other film in recent times that embraces hybridity this way and deploys it in such a devastatingly effective manner.
That large chunks of this documentary are basically unclassifiable is a testament to its originality and impact. Rasmussen went to school in Denmark with Amin (their first encounter on the school bus is memorable and the two share a laugh about it early on in the film), and the early parts of the documentary establish that connection between them - from that point onwards, the film is a beguiling mixture of memories, real-time interviews and more impressionistic segues about politics, sexuality and family dynamics. Flee is an immensely powerful refugee story from Afghanistan - Amin, a young gay man, escapes a regime that’s not only out to get him because of his sexuality, but also persecutes his family. One of the first questions posed before Amin, the subject of Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary Flee (streaming on Zee5 in India), is: “What does home mean to you?” Amin’s answer is simple and poignant: “Home is where you’re safe”.
