Review: 'Flee' uses animation to tell the true story of an Afghan refugee, and put us in the middle of his journey

The animated documentary “Flee” is doing so many things at the same time, and doing them so well, that it’s breathtaking — but you may not even notice, because director Jonas Poher Rasmussen keeps the focus on the amazing survival story at the center.

Rasmussen is interviewing Amin, 36, an academic originally from Afghanistan and now living in Denmark with his boyfriend, Kasper. Amin tells stories of his childhood in Kabul, flying kites, listening to European pop music, and being a kid — until the Taliban took power and cracked down on all Western influences. The Taliban took his father away, and things went downhill for the family from there.

Amin and his family struggle to get out of Afghanistan, first to Moscow, where things are scarcely better. They live in a tenement, and face regular harassment from corrupt police. Trying to hire a smuggler to get out of Moscow is difficult, and ultimately Amin must go alone.

Amin’s success getting out of Russia comes at a cost, though. To convince officials in Denmark to let him in as a refugee, he’s forced to tell a lie — and he lives the next 20 years fearful that the lie will be exposed, and he’ll be sent back to Russia or, worse, Taliban-run Afghanistan.

And, while he’s dealing with one secret he keeps from the government, there’s another one he’s trying to keep from his family: His homosexuality.

To keep his biggest secret — his identity — Rasmussen employs simple animation to hide Amin’s true face. The medium proves to be an inspired choice, because animation allows Rasmussen to visualize all the steps of Amin’s journey, including events where there were no cameras.

The animation of “Flee” reminded me of Art Spiegelman’s drawings in his landmark graphic history “Maus.” The art in both works adds a layer of artifice to the storytelling, allowing us to take one step back, emotionally — so we can absorb the details of the story without getting overwhelmed by it. Then, at a certain point, the humanity of the characters asserts itself, and we see in sharp relief the cost of Amin’s struggle.

The animation also allows the audience for “Flee” to see themselves in Amin’s place, and feel empathy not only for him but refugees from all over. If that’s not the purpose of movies – “a machine that creates empathy,” as Roger Ebert once said — I don’t know what is.

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‘Flee’

★★★★

Opens Friday, January 28, at the Broadway Centre Cinemas, Salt Lake City. Rated PG-13 for thematic content, disturbing images and strong violence. Running time: 89 minutes; in Dari and Danish, mostly, with subtitles.