How To Watch 'Flee,' The Animated Docudrama Making Oscar History

If you have not yet heard of the movie Flee, get ready. After the animated documentary from Denmark made history with its three Oscar nominations, it’s about to be one of those movies everyone is talking about. And with good reason. It crosses several traditional film boundaries as an animated movie that is also a documentary and based on a true story. And here’s how you can watch Flee so you’ll understand all the buzz.

A Heartbreaking True Story

In Flee, Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen interviews his friend Amin Nawabi over several years, and in that time Nawabi’s story as a young gay Afghan refugee fleeing his war-torn country unfolds. The two met when they were classmates in Copenhagen after Nawabi eventually made his way to Denmark all alone in 1995. Rasmussen decided to share Nawabi’s story as an animated docudrama, following his progress from a frightened child fleeing Kabul after the death of his father to Moscow and Europe. Nawabi, who is credited as a co-writer and whose name is actually a psuedonym for Flee, is able to share a secret he has been holding onto in the film because of the relative anonymity the animated movie provides him. “For so long his past and present had been disconnected, and he felt like he needed to share it,” Rasmussen told The Los Angeles Times. “Keeping secrets, you keep people at a certain distance because you’re afraid of being exposed. He really felt a need to not keep a distance with people anymore and to be able to connect his past and present and feel whole again.”

Where To Watch

Flee is available to stream on Hulu. It is also available to rent on streaming services like Amazon Prime and Youtube.

Making Oscar History

Flee made Oscar history when it was nominated in three categories: Best Animated Film, Best Documentary, and Best International Feature Film. This is the first movie to ever be nominated in these three diverse categories.

Is It For Kids?

While Flee is mostly animated (apart from some live-action footage in parts of the movie), it is not really meant for children. It is rated PG-13 for thematic content, disturbing images, and strong language.

The children might not watch it, but you absolutely should. Everyone else will be, after all.