Drawing New Realities: How Flugt (2021) reframes the Refugee and Queer Experience

Abstract

Animated documentaries offer a form of representation that live-action cannot always provide. The dominant focus within literature about animated documentary overlooks this aspect. Previous research mostly examined either the history of animated documentary or tried devising modes or functions. While interesting and important, I argue it is also valuable to look at how animation can aid the way something or someone is represented. By analysing how the animation functions in the animated documentary Flugt (2021), I looked at how this contributed to a more positive understanding of refugees, as this is one of the central themes of the film. I found the animation provided means to visualize Amin’s (main protagonist) story in a way live-action could not always have done. It stood in for footage that was not or could not have been shot, while also being able to visualize feelings that enhanced the tone of the film. Subsequently, this supported a positive representation of the refugee experience, contradicting dominant portrayals in other media. Because of the intersectional approach of the film, another aspect of his identity, being queer, has been interwoven throughout the documentary. This put forward a complex representation that showed why making these kind of films matter, and why more research toward the potential of animated documentaries should be done.