Refugee stories are not always obscured by our media, but they are often distorted, with broadcast news segments and sensational dramas twisting the extreme oppression and abuse experienced by migrants into entertainment for those of us with the right passports. Danish directoravoids this tendency in his latest project by infusing both of his professional mediums—documentary film and radio—with animation in order to grant his subject crucial anonymity.
Rasmussen grew up with Amin in a small Danish village, where the latter arrived alone at 16 and began living with a foster family. To get to Denmark, Amin had to endure deep suffering, and to receive asylum status, he had to tell the right story. Now, well into successful careers in film and academia, respectively, Rasmussen approaches Amin about finally sharing his past on the record. But the limits of disclosure have burdened Amin for the majority of his life and threaten his closest relationships, especially with his understanding boyfriend, Kasper.
It was excellent.