---
title: "Flee"
year: 2021
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/flee"
fi1m_score: 83
critics_score: 86
critics_reviews: 26
published: "2026-09-17T05:47:15.548423+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-17T05:47:45.898684+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Flee (2021)

Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen · 1h 29m · MPA PG-13 · Documentary, Animation

**Fi1m score: 83** · Critics 86 from 26 reviews

*In a sentence:* A man lies on a rug and tells his friend the truth for the first time; the drawings do the flinching for him

> Jonas Poher Rasmussen sits his friend on a rug, asks him where home is, and draws the answer. The result is patient, frightening and far funnier than its subject suggests; the animation stiffens whenever nobody is in danger, and it hardly matters.

## Synopsis

Denmark, the present day. Amin Nawabi, now grown and about to marry, lies on a rug with his eyes closed while his friend, the director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, asks him what home means. The answer starts in Kabul in the 1980s, where the nine-year-old Amin (Daniel Karimyar) runs through the streets in his sister’s dress with a-ha on his Walkman, and where his father is taken away by the government. As the city turns to war, his mother, his brother Saif (Milad Eskandari) and his sisters Fahima (Elaha Faiz) and Sabia (Sadia Faiz) take what is left of the family to Moscow. The teenage Amin (Fardin Mijdzadeh) grows up there, waiting. The film moves between the rug, the drawn past and the newsreel that recorded it.

## Review

Jonas Poher Rasmussen has made a documentary in which almost nothing was filmed. His friend Amin Nawabi, which is not his name, lies on a rug in a bare room, closes his eyes and is asked what home means to him. The answer takes 89 minutes and most of a life. All of it is drawn: Amin on the rug, Kabul in the 1980s, Moscow, the slow road to Denmark. The only photographed images are newsreel, cut in wherever Amin’s story crosses the one the cameras recorded. It is a fine film, and we recommend it with one reservation: the drawing is weakest whenever the story is calmest.

The film draws in two ways. Ordinary memory gets clean lines and flat colour: a courtyard, a kitchen, a boy’s bedroom with a poster on the wall. When Amin reaches something he cannot look at directly, the animators put down the colour and pick up charcoal. Figures lose their faces. Lines scratch and smear, and people move through black and grey like smoke down a corridor. It is what anyone does when telling you the worst thing that happened to them, which is to go vague, and the film makes the vagueness something you can watch.

We were horrified once, properly, and we have sat through a great many screen catastrophes, real and staged. We will not say what the sequence shows or where it falls. The animation goes to charcoal so the people in it are shapes rather than faces, Uno Helmersson’s score drops to one low held note and stays on it, and Janus Billeskov Jansen does not cut away to spare us; he holds, as the people on screen had to. Afterwards we paused the film and put the kettle on, which we do not often admit to.

It is also, and this is the surprise, funny. The boy Amin (voiced by Daniel Karimyar) runs through Kabul in his sister’s dress with a-ha on his Walkman, and nobody in the street minds. A little later there is a poster of Jean-Claude Van Damme and a boy realising something about himself he has no word for, and Rasmussen plays it as comedy because that is how Amin remembers it. We laughed, then remembered which city the boy was standing in and what year it was, and the laugh did not last.

Amin’s own voice carries the present day. He is tired and careful and keeps correcting himself, and Rasmussen leaves the corrections in. Fardin Mijdzadeh voices the teenager with the flat wariness of someone who has learned to say as little as possible. In the present, Amin is about to marry, and the question the film hangs on is whether he can tell the man he is marrying everything he is telling Rasmussen. The director appears as a drawn figure holding a microphone, and the film never pretends to be anything other than two friends in a room, one of whom has brought a crew.

The reservation. The realist drawing is stiff. When people sit at a table or cross a Danish kitchen the movement has a hitch in it, and faces hold one expression a beat too long, so that Amin’s present life looks like a well-meaning public information film. The middle stretch, with the family waiting in Moscow for something to happen, is patient in a way that occasionally shades into slow, and the newsreel sometimes explains what the drawings had already shown. None of it is fatal. All of it shows in a film that is otherwise so sure of what it is doing.

Animated documentary is a short shelf with one obvious landmark on it, [*Waltz with Bashir*](https://film.one/film/waltz-with-bashir) (2008), and *Flee* belongs beside it. The animation here is not decoration. Amin could not have sat in front of a camera and said any of this, and the drawing lets him sit in front of us without being seen. The film has a reason for looking the way it does, and it is better for it.

Watch it at home, with the subtitles on and the phone in another room. It runs 89 minutes and does not go easy on you. It is also, under the boats and the police, a story about a man being allowed to stop lying, and there are worse ways to spend an evening than watching that happen.

*Fi1m score 83, published 17 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews are almost unanimously warm. Twenty-five of twenty-six critics are positive, and the praise clusters on the same decision: telling a refugee’s story through hand-drawn animation. Most find that the technique does two jobs at once, protecting Amin’s anonymity while making memories he could never have filmed fully visible, and several single out the sea crossing in a freight container as the sequence that lands hardest. The friendship between Rasmussen and his subject is credited for the film’s candour about sexuality and shame as well as flight.

The spread is narrow, and the reservations are about the same device. Slant Magazine is the lone mixed voice, finding the muted animation keeps the viewer at arm’s length from the man himself and flattens the emotional detail. The AV Club notes that, as a real and untidy account, the story occasionally frustrates, and Eye for Film sees some stiffness in the realistic drawing style.

### Reviews we read (26)

- **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin (5/5): The review calls Flee a thrillingly unique and achingly beautiful animated study of a gay Afghan refugee’s memories, noting that animation is the ideal medium for preserving anonymity while making the extraordinary yet commonplace story fully visible. It singles out the hand-drawn style blending impressionistic and precise recollections. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2022/02/10/flee-review-unlikely-oscar-contender-thrilling-proposition/)
- **Empire**, Joshua Rothkopf (90/100, inferred): Documentary filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen uses animation to tell the unique story of his friend's migration and personal secrets in a way that blends memory, therapy and subtle comedy. The film is a complex, stirring heartbreaker that lends lyricism to the migrant experience. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/flee/)
- **IndieWire**, Eric Kohn (90/100, inferred): The review describes the film as a thrilling, masterful survival story told through a visually startling animated approach that brings one man's revelatory refugee experiences to life. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/flee-review-animated-documentary-sundance-1234611605/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Jen Yamato (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it one of the most humane films of the year, an intimate portrait of displacement's lasting traumas that serves as both testimonial and catalyst for catharsis through the subject's reckoning with his past. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-12-03/flee-review)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roxana Hadadi (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's intimate, animated portrait of a refugee's trauma, resilience, and search for home and truth, calling it one of the year's best for its emotional depth and humane insight. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/flee-movie-review-2021)
- **Screen Daily** (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the thoughtful animated hybrid for enhancing the moving first-person story of an Afghan refugee with impressionistic animations and newsreel context. It singles out the technique's ability to expand precise recollections into emotional areas and its exploration of additional anxieties around sexuality. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/flee-sundance-review/5156534.article)
- **Sight and Sound** (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film an astonishing animated documentary that intimately explores a young gay Afghan refugee's journey from Kabul through Moscow to Denmark. It singles out the harrowing animated sequence of the family's sea crossing in a freight container for its emotional power and the film's critique of hostile refugee treatment. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/flee-an-astonishing-animated-portrait-young-refugee)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Rasmussen’s animated documentary as a masterly, emotionally engaging and stylistically adventurous account of an Afghan refugee confronting his traumatic past. It highlights the film’s vivid animation, impressionistic sequences of flight and trafficking, and its arc from secrecy to openness as a triumph-of-the-human-spirit coming-of-age story. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/13/flee-review-an-afghan-refugee-confronts-his-past-in-masterly-animated-documentary-jonas-poher-rasmussen)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a powerful and poetic memoir of personal struggle and self-discovery that expands the definition of documentary through its mix of hand-drawn animation and archival footage. It highlights the film's examination of refugee trauma and its unconventional queer love story. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/flee-film-review-sundance-2021-4123822/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic’s Pick): The critic hails the piercing animated documentary as a probing yet tactful psychological portrait of an Afghan refugee's journey, blending themes of displacement, secrecy, and coming out with trust born from the director's friendship with the subject. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/02/movies/flee-review.html)
- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★☆): The critic hails the film as the defining entry in the serious animated documentary genre, profoundly affecting in its true-life tale of a gay Afghan refugee’s harrowing journey and emotional endurance. It singles out the bittersweet climax that shatters all but the coldest hearts after a litany of violations and traumas. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/flee-review-animation-9fvtbkkvb)
- **The Independent**, Lindsey Bahr (3.5/4): The animated documentary tells the harrowing true story of a young Afghan refugee's journey from Kabul through Russia to Denmark in the 1980s. It is praised as one of the best films of the year for its rich, seamless storytelling and emotional impact. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/afghanistan-russia-sweden-denmark-kabul-b1967916.html)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (85/100, inferred): This deeply humane animated documentary explores the memories of Amin, a gay Afghan refugee who fled Kabul as a child, as he prepares to marry and confronts his past. It is both horrifying and ultimately hopeful, unmissable for its handling of trauma, identity and belonging. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/flee-review-movie-afghanistan-unmissable-afghan-refugee-oscar-nominations-jonas-poher-rasmussen-1453387)
- **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (B+): The critic finds the film intense and moving, praising how animation elevates the storytelling and vividly brings the subject's memories to life while protecting his anonymity. It notes the story feels special yet occasionally unsatisfying as a real, untidy personal account. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-animated-flee-paints-a-refugee-s-story-in-vivid-col-1848138968)
- **Little White Lies**, Ella Kemp (3/4/4): The critic finds the animated documentary formally bold and emotionally rich, delivering a moving portrait of a gay Afghan man's escape and search for home. It singles out the warm animation that captures complex feelings of trauma, joy, guilt and hope beyond mere statistics. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/flee)
- **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (4/5): The critic calls the mostly animated documentary remarkable for boldly redefining the form through its mix of hand-drawn animation and archival footage. It singles out the emotional rewards of telling the story of a gay Afghan refugee's escape and ongoing trauma. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-s4zcse/flee/)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): The critic describes the film as a deeply compassionate and strikingly original animated documentary that lays bare the migrant experience with a queer dimension. It singles out the hand-drawn animation recreating traumatic memories and the insight into the psychology of shame and healing. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/flee)
- **Variety** (70/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as an original artistic exploration of trauma's impact on self, using shifting unreliable narration to reflect the subject's hidden truths and intimate act of sharing at its Sundance premiere. [Read](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/flee-review-1234894626/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Keith Watson (65/100, inferred): The review praises the wrenching details of Amin's refugee journey and his self-aware storytelling but criticizes the muted animation for keeping viewers too removed from the man himself and flattening emotional subtleties. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/flee-review-jonas-poher-rasmussen/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (A): The critic finds the animated documentary a powerful, haunting, and essential story of an Afghan refugee's experiences, one that humanizes refugees and demands attention for its nuance and emotional depth. Animation is singled out as the ideal medium for conveying the story authentically. [Read](https://collider.com/flee-review-animated-documentary/)
- **Deadline**, Todd McCarthy (90/100, inferred): The review praises the film as a special, harrowing animated documentary that reaffirms animation's power for serious storytelling, much like Waltz with Bashir. It singles out the bold, impressionistic visuals that render the refugee's desperate odyssey with emotional immediacy and resourcefulness. [Read](https://deadline.com/2021/02/flee-movie-review-jonas-poher-rasmussen-sundance-1234687973/)
- **/Film**, Hoai-Tran Bui (9/10): The critic praises the film's use of simple, stream-of-consciousness animation to bring Amin's refugee experiences vividly to life in a way more evocative than conventional documentary methods. It highlights the animation's artistic power in rendering both nostalgic and traumatic memories with emotional intimacy and humanity. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/676657/flee-review-animated-documentary-paints-a-refugee-tale-more-vivid-and-sharp-than-reality/)
- **The Playlist**, Gregory Ellwood (A-): The critic calls the film a stellar and powerful exploration of refugee trauma and displacement, made exceptionally poignant through its animated storytelling and focus on Amin's experiences as a closeted gay man. It commends the humane, contemporary resonance and the way animation elevates the personal and historical elements. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/flee-magnificent-refugee-sundance-review-20210128/)
- **The Wrap** (90/100, inferred): The review calls it a soul-stirring storytelling knockout and one of the best movies about the refugee crisis, lauding its empathetic animated approach. It singles out the life-affirming arc from sorrow to hope, achieved without cynicism or cheap sentimentality through expressive hand-drawn animation. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/flee-film-review-animation-documentary/)
- **The Skinny**, Patrick Gamble (★★★★): The critic finds it a tender, surprisingly sweet animated documentary on displacement and identity. They single out the animation's ability to express alienation alongside moments of tenderness and humor arising from the subject's trust in the filmmaker. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/flee)
- **Eye for Film**, Jeremy Mathews (70/100, inferred): The critic finds that animating the entire film creates an immersive, cohesive portrait of Amin's trauma and reluctance to share his past as a gay Afghan refugee. It singles out the grounded, realistic animation style for effectively conveying emotional memories and human connections despite some stylistic stiffness. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/flee-2021-film-review-by-jeremy-mathews)

## Details

- **Director:** Jonas Poher Rasmussen
- **Director:** Jonas Poher Rasmussen
- **Writer:** Jonas Poher Rasmussen
- **Editor:** Janus Billeskov Jansen
- **Music:** Uno Helmersson
- **Producer:** Charlotte de la Gournerie, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Monica Hellström
- **Cast:** Amin Nawabi as Self (voice); Daniel Karimyar as Amin (9-11 years old) (voice); Fardin Mijdzadeh as Amin (15-18 years old) (voice); Milad Eskandari as Saif (8 years old) (voice); Belal Faiz as Saif (13-19 years old) (voice); Elaha Faiz as Fahima (13-18 years old) (voice); Zahra Mehrwarz as Fahima (28 years old) (voice); Sadia Faiz as Sabia (16-26 years old) (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 29m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 3 December 2021
- **Genres:** Documentary, Animation
- **Budget:** $3 million
- **Box office:** $712,229
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcgMxg22tY0

## Where to watch in the US

- Tubi: free, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $9.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $9.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-17.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DK, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, JP, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Bodil Award for Best Documentary 2022: Bodil Award for Best Documentary (won)
- Guldbagge Award for Best Foreign Film 2022: Guldbagge Award for Best Foreign Film (won)
- International Submission to the Academy Awards 2022: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated)
- LUX European Audience Film Award 2022: LUX European Audience Film Award (nominated)
- Robert Award for Best Documentary Feature 2022: Robert Award for Best Documentary Feature (won)
- Academy Awards 2021: Best Animated Feature (nominated)
- Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film 2021: Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film (won)
- Critics' Choice Awards 2021: Best Animated Feature (nominated)
- Dorian Award for LGBTQ Film of the Year 2021: Dorian Award for LGBTQ Film of the Year (won)
- Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary 2021: Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary (won)
- European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film 2021: European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film (won)
- European Film Award for Best Documentary 2021: European Film Award for Best Documentary (won)
- European University Film Award 2021: European University Film Award (won)
- Golden Globes 2021: Best Animated Feature Film (nominated)
- Nordic Council Film Prize 2021: Nordic Council Film Prize (won)
- Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary 2021: Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary (won)

## If you liked this

- *Waltz with Bashir* (2008), Fi1m 83: Ari Folman animates his own missing memories of Lebanon; the obvious companion, and the right one. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/waltz-with-bashir.md)
- *Persepolis* (2007), Fi1m 87: Marjane Satrapi’s Tehran childhood in black ink; funnier than Flee and nearly as unsparing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/persepolis.md)
- *Midnight Traveler* (2019): An Afghan family films its own flight on three phones; no drawings, same road.
- *Tower* (2016): Rotoscoped witnesses to a 1966 campus shooting; animation used to protect and to reveal.
- *Fire at Sea* (2016): Lampedusa, the boats and the islanders who barely look up; the other end of Amin’s journey.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/flee