In ‘Flee,’ an Afghan refugee’s tale in vivid animation

By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The documentary “Flee” uses animation to tell the true tale of a refugee’s journey from Afghanistan to Denmark, vividly rendering a kind of story usually only filtered through blunter mediums like journalism and traditional documentary. It’s made “Flee” one of the most acclaimed films of the year. After first premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won best documentary, “Flee” has picked up honors from the Gotham Awards, the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review. It’s Denmark’s submission to the Academy Awards, where it will potentially vie for best animated film, best documentary and best international film. What began hesitantly as a small project of therapy has become a global arthouse sensation.