Drawing a lot from Ari Folman’s 2008 Vals Im Bashir, this Danish animated documentary tells the heartfelt story of Amin and his family as they try to escape from Afghanistan to Europe in the early 90’s.

Mainly told in an animation format, the movie mixes as well very accurately and engagingly real/journalistic footage that perfectly plays along with the events of the story.

At the same time, the benefits of using animation to tell a documentary really come to shine in this movie. Thanks to it, the usual staticity from which many documentaries suffer of simply having people sitting and talking (aspect that I have always felt to be quite anticinematic when used in excess, and that is obviously what can occur in documentaries) is in many times avoid. As animation allows the possibility to provide actual images to the words that are being said, making the story even much more engulfing.

Sadly enough, a bit more of quarter of the film story is not that interesting. That being the one that is set in current times. The sheer power of the story around the incredible hardships and struggles that the family and Amin individually had to endure both in Afghanistan and in Europe diminish the apparent doubts and concerns that adult Amin has regarding his partner and way of life. Even though he gives an explanation to it, and it is understandable and satisfactory, compared to the other struggles these seem too mundane.

In conclusion, a really good unfolding of the hardships (both physical and psychological) that refugees have to face told through a very simple type of animation that shows how if the story is actually strong no fancy stuff is needed to make it great.