Flee
★ ★★★★
Ironic doesn't seem to be an apt enough word to describe my timing of watching this innovative, animated documentary. I was already quite stunned by this film before I started to receive the headline notifications about the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine. In my privileged American world as a white male, I have always tried to keep in mind that I don't have a lot to complain about. I'm always thankful for movies like Flee to remind me of how easy I have it and to support those that don't.
Before starting the film, I wondered if the animation would be gimmicky, but it's not at all. It takes on different styles to portray different moments in Amin's life, but also perfectly utilizes real footage to remind you that this tale is true. It really does an amazing job of blending these two genres together and bringing life to Amin's story, as terrifying as it is at times.
It's hard for me to think that somebody could be unmoved by how they view refugees after seeing this film. Amin's story is revelatory but I was mainly struck by the fact that this is one single story of thousands. Is it unfair to say millions? Flee is poetic, but realistic, and should be a must-watch for anybody to understand how terrible the perils of war can be.
