Category: Reading Responses (Page 4 of 10)

In “Ching Chong Chinaman,” Grace’s character undergoes a significant transformation from a more obedient and conforming individual to someone who becomes more independent under Ed’s patriarchal family structure, as she learns to embracing her own identity and desires discovering more of herself.

Ed, in stark contrast to traditional Chinese values, wholeheartedly embraces American ideals such as the American Dream and consumerism. Shown as he talks about his ideology and manifest destiny, again exemplified by his fondness for golf, meticulous lawn care, and his inability to use chopsticks or order Chinese food. Ed’s dialogue, “Now, now, there’s plenty of money for everyone to buy lots of things they don’t need,” reflects his embodiment of American consumerism and a stark contrast from Chinese values of saving money (China Gross Savings Rate was measured at 45.9% in Dec 2021). His status in the family is evident when he calls himself “the boss” as he leads this family and values are echoed into the rest of the family. 

Grace, early in the play, conforms to the standards set by her husband Ed. She appears obedient and subservient, lacking an individual identity and copies those American ideals. She grapples with her feelings of inadequacy, particularly due to her inability to have children, and tries to please Ed by ordering takeout instead of preparing authentic Chinese food revealing another aspect of inadequacy her cultural inadequacy. Her inability to cook, traditionally seen as a woman’s role, makes her feel out of place along with her other roles that are at risk as her children grow up. She realizes this in a scene where she asks Ed for guidance on the matter and is met with more traditional women roles. This initial portrayal of Grace paints a picture of a woman who is willingly entrapped by patriarchal norms and struggling to find her own voice. Ed’s actions, such as placing notes in the laundry for Grace to see and read, and instructing Grace to wake the kids up, a role designed to keep her occupied and provide a sense of purpose within the household as she fails to do independently.

Another scene that is important to her character arc is when she damages Ed’s golf club and is likely more passionate about golf than her in many ways and symbolizes part of his American identity. He talks about the importance of golf to doing business and rants about it in depth in intricacies of a swing to J, more attention than he ever gave to grace. It was surprising to see her do something so bold and out of character but does show immense growth and signals for change.  

And so as the play unfolds, Grace’s transformation becomes more evident. She begins gradually asserting her own desires and individuality. A pivotal moment is her dance and kiss with J, signifying her newfound independence and a personal discovery of something uniquely hers that she decided to do. This act represents a significant departure from her earlier compliance, highlighting the internal conflict she has been experiencing and her evolving identity that she discovers.

When discussing heavy or contentious topics in their work, writers often use comedy as an effective way of cutting tension and lightening the mood of a piece. Taking a comical approach to writing is especially useful when the topics in play reference events or ideas that were or are currently harmful to groups of people. In Ching Chong Chinaman, Lauren Yee employs jokes throughout the play to comment on stereotypes of different marginalized groups in America.

At the play’s beginning, the audience is introduced to the family at the center of the story; Ed and Grace are parents to Upton and Desdemona, all four of whom act and speak in a way that is socially tone-deaf, and laughable. Outside of the four family members, Jinqiang, an indentured servant working for Upton, Kim Lee Park, a 17-year-old girl from Korea that Desdemona is sponsoring, and the unnamed Chinese woman all appear frequently throughout the play.

In accordance with their insensitivity, Upton and Desdemona have a particularly funny conversation about whether Upton should get rid of Jinqiang, who they refer to as “J” due to the family’s lack of understanding for the proper pronunciation of his name. In the 6^th scene of the play, Upton opens by reading from his essay, the topic of which being indentured servitude. In his writing, Upton grossly oversimplifies and glamorizes the plight of indentured servants coming to America for work in the 19^th century. But, after comparing his own needs of completing schoolwork, chores, and other obligations to those of Charles Crocker, and American tycoon responsible for creating the Transcontinental Railroad, Upton is interrupted by Desdemona, who exclaims after realizing that J is Upton’s own indentured servant. In response to this very justified outburst, Upton calmly replies that his private property is protected by the law, an odd thing to say considering it was never mentioned or in question. Then, before addressing the crime being committed by her brother, Desdemona questions how J, a non-English speaker, would even complete his homework. After hearing Upton’s response, Desdemona finally begins to criticize the moral and legal wrongdoings of her brother. She points out that J is being exploited and that Upton should “send him back”, to where she does not say. Following this command, Upton claims that J works for him because he is poor, but he would be poorer if he did anything else, implying that he is kind for allowing J this opportunity. Upton then shows his true, selfish colors by asking Desdemona if she would tell their parents, and she insists she will, until she finds out that J can complete her calculus homework for her. With the situation now benefitting her, Desdemona ironically agrees to let Upton continue using J for his work, just after condemning him for it.

During this scene and much of the play, the audience is reminded of how those who benefit from the harm of others will do nothing to prevent such situations from occurring. Although topics like this would typically making viewing the play uncomfortable for the audiences, Yee’s humor adds levity. Using irony, such as Desdemona’s quickly shifting attitude, and hyperbolic situations, like an average family allowing their son to house an indentured servant, in her writing, Yee sheds light on the average person’s ability to turn a blind eye to tragedy affecting others. By mixing these messages with comedic relief, Yee makes them more palatable and acceptable for audiences everywhere.

Throughout the play, Ching Chong Chinaman, Lauren Yee cements the idea of a Chinese American family that has completely assimilated into the American culture. The family consists of names that are unorthodox when it comes to Chinese names, proving that the family has established themselves as more American than Chinese. The family struggles to communicate with Jinqiang, the Chinaman, in the Chinese dialect since they have no idea how to properly speak Chinese, showing how they have completely detached themselves from their Chinese culture and identity.

It all starts at the beginning of the play when we are introduced to the family and its members as they are getting ready to take a picture for a Christmas card. The father Ed, the mother Grace, the son Upton, and the daughter Desdemona are irregular when it comes to Chinese names. Yee’s usage of these names provides a sense of the family’s establishment and assimilation into American culture, and how they are far from being a Chinese-American family and more so just an American family. This is only one of many issues that the family faces at the start of the play.

Yee then goes on to show the struggles of communication between the family and Jinqiang. Desdemona says, “This is ridiculous. How are we supposed to
even communicate with him?”, to which Ed replies, ” If he doesn’t know English and we don’t know Chinese, as long as he’s in America, that’s his fault, not ours.” The family struggles to adequately speak with the “Chinaman” and Ed continues to call him “Ching Chong” simply because he cannot pronounce the name properly. After some time, Grace uncomfortably orders Chinese food for the family and unknowingly thanks them in Japanese, with the misconception that “doomo arigato” means “thank you” in Chinese. Yee jokes about the sense of the family struggling to communicate in their native tongue, showing how much they have truly assimilated into the American culture, completely neglecting their Chinese culture.

Through the play, Yee ridicules the way people live their lives today with no perception of their own identity. The Wongs represent just that, a family that is so misguided by their misconceptions of their identities, as just Americans, that they make “uncalled for” remarks towards the Chinaman, Jinqiang. Yee uses the attendance of the “Chinaman” to not only joke with but dissolve stereotypes about Chinese Americans. Yee leads viewers to question their personal and cultural identity and the search for or dismissal of that identity. This play illustrates people who are restrained or mistaken in their pursuit of self-awareness and self-fulfillment, inevitably leading them to the realization that they need to be able to recognize and accept who and what they really are.

The balance that the playwright, Lauren Yee, strikes between the underlying dark subjects and the light, humorous nature of the play enables her and the audience to transcend stereotypes and fight for an identity. The irony with which Yee crafts the play through her language in the dialogue and stage directions, particularly in Scene 2, allows us to explore the themes of identity, or the lack thereof, of this Chinese-American home and reflect on our own identities. In Scene 2, Jinquiang, or J, is introduced as “the Chinese Man,” which is ironic given that the entire Wong family is also Chinese-American (or at least we think they are until the plot twist and discovering that both Desdemona and Upton are adopted). Desdemona also asks “Who’s that?…The Asian guy,” referring again to Jinquiang despite the fact that she and the other three of her family members are also Asian. (page 9)

The stage directions labeling J as “the Chinese Man” and Desdemona’s own language create two distinct senses of a lack of identity for the Wong family. The stage directions portray an objetified view that the Wong family has become so Americanized that they can no longer be identified with their cultural roots or ancestors. They have been displaced both by geographical and by mental processes that have transformed their mindset to reflect their dismisall of their own identity. Desdemona failing to recognzie herself as an Asian or Asian-American adds an additional dimension to the play in that not only is the Wong family perceived to not be “Asian enough,” but they are also misguided by their own identities. 

Upton says, “Just call him J,” in Scene 2 (page 10). This is a moment that many audience members may find offensive, and it is a moment that resonated with me. As children of immigrants, we often have complicated names and Asian-Americans are not the only group that has faced this part of the immigrant experience. We have been in the position of sitting in a classroom, dreading for our name to be called. We know the familiar feeling of our teacher standing at the front of the room, squinting at the attendance list, and knowing that it is our name they are struggling to pronounce. Our names are a part of our identity. At times, it is difficult not to hold resentment towards our name, and thereby our culture, heritage, and identity. We long for names that are easier to pronounce and ones that don’t reveal our past just by the combination of letters. We long for names that can’t be ridiculed, names that are pronounceable, names that are American.

Simultaneously, this scene of meeting Jinquiang and calling him J to make it easier for the Wong family to pronounce is also comical. Cutting Jinquiang’s name short represents stripping him of his identity, even though he is the most confident and least confused about his identity. He is very clearly “the Chinese man.” Desdemona and Upton have the longest names of all the characters, yet they are the least aware of their own identities. In this ironic way, it is as though Desdemona and Upton, and their parents, are projecting their own insecurities onto Jinquiang, but he is not unaffected by it because he cannot understand them anyway. In a way, Jinquiang lives in his own world. He continues his journey and aspirations of becoming a dancer who can communicate to everyone, regardless of the language they speak, breaking stereotypes along the way through humorous jokes about his lack of calculus skills. This lighthearted aspect of the play allows for Yee to convey her point about the assimilation tactics of Americans, of great-grandchildren of immigrants, while maintaining a subplot that is lighter and reflects immigrants’ ability to continue dreaming in a world where they are dehumanized. 

Looking at my own life, I try to implement Jinquiang’s attitude towards the world, especially the American one, in order to make sense of my identity amidst a sea of unknown. People play games with my last name, trying to pronounce it correctly and others race to get it right first. For me, it is a moment of joy rather than a moment of resentment. I smile, I fight the urge to lower my gaze when teachers stumble upon my name, I break it down into Peace-a-ref-ski. I spell it out. 

The end of the play brings a sort of resolution for the Wong family when Grace finds out that she is pregnant. She will finally have someone to look after and someone who needs her. She cannot come with Jinquiang because she knows exactly where she needs to be and what she needs to be. She is discovering a new identity for herself, which symbolizes everyone else’s ability to finally become who they are. Years of splintering self-hatred rest in the palms of the Wong family, giving them the power to transform it into acceptance.

Written by Lauren Yee, the darkly comedic play “Ching Chong Chinaman” explores the dynamics of a family as they encounter challenges in both self and cultural identity. The story follows each of the four family members after the arrival of Jinqian, a man from China tasked with doing Desdemona and Upton’s homework to allow them to achieve their own goals—getting into Princeton and winning a World of Warcraft championship. Grace Wong, the mother of the two and wife to Ed Wong, is initially characterized as an overlooked and ditzy mother preoccupied with her desire to become pregnant. However, over the course of the play, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery with Jinqian through their shared love for dance—a universal language.

Grace’s time is painted as futile, as she never seems to do anything proactive. However, her and her husband seem to take pride in the “picture-perfect” nature of their household as Ed assures her, “Someone’s got a nice family, hmm?” (27). This concluded their discussion about Grace herself, who is scarcely a topic of interest, after they considered “what else [is she] good at?” (27). Instead of finding her a hobby like they intended, Ed insisted that she found comfort in her role as a mother. He then gives her the opportunity to pick his tie as he tells her, “you get to decide,” which leaves her at a loss when she responds, “oh, I’ve never done that before,” (27). Grace always had her story prewritten, with her fate as a housewife always defining her future and limiting her dreams. She was never given the opportunity to think for herself, nor consider what she truly wanted. This is a common cultural stereotype that has held women back from making “selfish” plans that don’t fit into the ideal picture-perfect family. However, this scene begins her journey to defy her expectations.

Later, in conversation with Jinqian, Grace gains his trust by affirming “who would I tell? No one ever listens to me anyway,” (52) revealing the way she views herself in the family dynamic. This is evident throughout the play as she lacks a strong backbone to ever defend herself. However, I believe this served as a catalyst for her journey of self-discovery, as she was able to use her invisibility in her favor. Jinqian accepted this fact and shared his dreams with her, to which she cluelessly replied, “but aren’t you dancing here already? What else do you want?” (52). In this, Yee is able to reflect Grace’s almost brainwashed mindset in which she believes that growth is unnecessary, since she has been convinced that she has everything she could ever want, “A house. A husband. Children. No one asks me for anything, I don’t have to do anything. I just sit around all day, bored. It’s wonderful!” (52). However, Yee’s satirical writing makes it clear that Mrs. Wong might have longed for a different life, one where she could have pursued a career and personal ambitions rather than settling into the role of a housewife. This conversation humanizes Mrs. Wong and shows the audience her unfulfilled dreams and aspirations. It challenges the expectation that Asian mothers are solely devoted to their families and have no personal desires beyond their roles as caretakers.

One of the pivotal moments in her character development is when Grace decides to leave her family temporarily and pursue her dreams. Initially, she had told Jinqian to go to Hollywood without her, to which he insisted, “”with you. I need you, Grace,” (74). However, considering her long-desired and finally successful pregnancy, she disappointingly tells him, “yes, but other people need me now, too. Sorry,” (74). This scene highlights her everlasting longing to be needed, since she desired the pregnancy so badly in order to have a purpose. This was made clear back in scene 7 when she claimed that she “like[s] babies when they cry,” (26). Thus, she felt as if she fulfilled her prophecy after finally becoming pregnant.

However, her decision to then leave is a significant departure from traditional expectations and demonstrates her agency and desire for personal fulfillment. It surprises the audience by challenging the stereotype of Asian mothers as solely self-sacrificing figures. She finally confronts her husband when she claims, “No, Ed… That’s not enough,” (75). However, he confidently dismisses her comment when he states that, “she’ll be back,” (75). Moreover, Desdemona then demanded her mother, telling her, “you never have anything to do,” (76) as she finishes packing her bag. She leaves her daughter saying, “You’ll be fine, dear. You always have been,” (76). This emphasizes the way that Grace must have felt useless in their lives, even though her entire life’s purpose was to be there for them. In this, she leaves her unappreciative household to pursue a genuine passion. Yee is able to use this character development to show the inner battles within mothers and the challenges they are branded with due to cultural responsibilities.

These moments in Mrs. Wong’s character journey contribute to the play’s exploration of individuality, unfulfilled dreams, and the complexity of family dynamics. Mrs. Wong’s character challenges stereotypes and reveals her own desires and ambitions, ultimately altering the audience’s perspective on her role in the family and the choices she makes throughout the play. It highlights the idea that individuals, regardless of their cultural background, may have their own aspirations and desires beyond their familial roles.

Ching Chong Chinaman by Lauren Yee portrays a Chinese-American family who are completely whitewashed and are racist to another Chinese man, who they call Ching Chong. Each character in the play eventually tries to discover their cultural identity and realize how they were trying to blend in so hard to American culture. The desire to try to be part of the majority manifested chaos in their family and led to shocking discoveries about who they really are. This can be shown through the eldest daughter of the family, Desdemona, who is trying to find her cultural identity through her application process to Princeton. 

In the beginning of the play whilst taking a family portrait, Desdemona is illustrated as educated and conscious of social inequalities when her dad, Ed, tried to support the Manifest Destiny. In Scene 2 once the Chinese man enters, she also tries to tell her mom, Grace, that she cannot call the Chinese man, or J, “Ching Chong” since it’s a racial slur and that they cannot keep him here to be her brothers, Uptons, pet. Throughout all this, Desdemona is stressing out about her grade in BC Calculus and how Princeton cares about it. 

However, Desdemona’s character starts to shift in perspective the longer J stays when she told Ed to not speak, look, or acknowledge J because he can’t speak English. In Scene 5, this is further deepened when Desdemona is going over her essay for Princeton about a Korean schoolgirl orphan named Kim Lee Park. At first the essay starts off as Desdemona being a savior for Kim Lee Park and helping her purchase a yak that kept her warm in the winter and providing her food and transportation. Then, when Desdemona needs more words and Kim Lee Park doesn’t want to help anymore, she slaps her and forces her to give more ideas. After this, Desdemona goes to Upton and tells him he can’t use J as an indentured servant unless J also does her math homework. 

In Scene 11 when Desdemona is at her Princeton interview, she realizes she is not Chinese enough and tries to discover her identity and catch up on it. When Ed didn’t provide enough information on her Chinese heritage, she decided to do a DNA test and found out that her family is also Mexican. She then goes to Mexico for her quinceanera and tells her father she wants to be a person of “color” color. However, Desdemona finds out she’s adopted and is actually Korean and goes on a rampage but then calms down and ends the play with her and Upton saying Merry Christmas.

Desdemona’s character shocked me throughout this play because I expected her to act differently from her parents and to try to educate them on racial issues but in reality she was also participating in it. In each scene, we are revealed another aspect about her that makes her seem absurd. Her actions are aggressive because when she was stressed, she slapped her Korean “friend” and her overall attitude throughout the dialogue is seemingly ignorant. She tries to pretend to be educated and that she’s benefitting the world with her charity and insight when she’s actually just being insensitive by doing so. She tries so hard to be oppressed or to have something about her standout when she should have been trying to celebrate her own culture rather than others. This play really portrays how hard it is for families to try to conform to American culture and society and in the process they end up losing their own background because they just want to be accepted. 

In the play Ching Chong Chinaman by Lauren Yee, one of the central problems throughout the story is the conflict between Desdemona and her parents. Desdemona feels extremely pressured by her parents to attend Princeton for college, and she feels as if she is unqualified to attend the school, especially after reading the application essay prompt.

            When reading the prompt, Desdemona discovers she will be required to write about a time in her life in which she felt she had to face a struggle or overcome a challenge. Although she believes she is a Chinese American, Desdemona feels that she hasn’t experienced the same struggles others of her ethnicity have faced. The internal conflict to discover who she is to apply for school in combination with the external conflict between her and her parents leads to a very interesting storyline for Desdemona.

            This conflict reflects on the pressure that minority groups feel to conform to “normal” American culture. For example, it is very common for parents to send their kids to college after graduating high school, even if there is a better career/life path for them, because it has become American society’s normalcy for graduates to attend further education and to eventually get what U.S. society recognizes as a standard job. However, other jobs, such as mechanics, that don’t require further education are just as important for our society to function. Because Desdemona’s parents are new to the country, they feel additional pressure to assimilate into the country, and that pressure gets transferred onto their daughter. 

            As for the internal conflict within Desdemona, as a teenager, she is at a time in her life where she is questioning things about herself and her background that she might not have before. Especially for a child who doesn’t have clarity in her background, she is having trouble feeling comfortable in her own skin and she struggles to truly discover herself, something she feels she needs to know to apply for school. This reflects again on the pressure of minority groups to conform to American culture. It’s almost as if the parents don’t want to tell their daughter more about her background, not only because she’s secretly adopted, but because they want her to focus more on her American life rather than on any aspects of life where she was originally from. Our background and ethnicity can be an important part in shaping who we are, and knowing little about her early life, and further on in the play, realizing everything she did know is a lie, only confuses Desdemona more.

            Overall, Desdemona‘s lack of knowledge about her ethnicity impacts her confidence in herself and therefore her confidence when applying to Princeton. This is worsened by the pressure on her parents to get into school, which stems from the pressure they feel to send their daughter to college. Ching Chong Chinaman uses the idea of applying to college and the conflict surrounding it between Desdemona and her parents to highlight the pressure put on minority groups and immigrants to the United States to conform to American society and culture, and to not recognize anything about their own background or ethnicity.

There are a large variety of uses and meanings of photographs. Some photographs are used in order to tell stories in many diverse ways. Others use photographs for the purpose of capturing a particular moment in time and to help viewers feel and form a connection with what is happening in the photograph. I personally believe that photography can both reveal and conceal reality in the form of a still image.

In Susan Sontag’s essay, “On Photography”, she speaks about how photography can belittle or change the idea of certain events that are captured on camera and how it is a form of art that can capture and keep real parts of life. On page 14 she begins to describe how “there is something predatory in the act of taking a picture. To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them they can never have; it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed.” This adds on to Sontag’s idea because it shows how photography is able to capture something that may have not been seen by the subject itself, making it “violating” a person’s privacy. It also shows how although a photographer is able to have a clear vision of what he or she wants to capture in his/or photography, it may be different in the eyes of a different viewer (in both negative and positive ways).

In Elena Martinique’s article, “When Staged Photography Becomes Art” she speaks a lot on how photography used to mostly be a “decided moment” indicating that much of it used to be staged. She states how a “pioneer of the genre, Jeff Wall makes large-scale color images that seem to capture people engaged in everyday life, but are in fact largely staged. He described his work as cinematography, boiling it down to preparation, doing things in advance before taking the picture, and collaboration, having contact with people being photographed.” This shows how photography conceals reality because photographers back then used to stage every image even though the photograph itself looks like it was taken spontaneously.

These two pieces of writing support my idea about how photography and still images can either hide reality or bring awareness to it even more.

When Amin Nawabi started talking about his father in the film Flee, I was able to feel his raw emotions; I could recognize and understand how devastated he was when his father was taken away from him. The director’s stylistic and narrative choices certainly helped establish and build my understanding of Nawabi’s trauma.

In terms of stylistic choices, I saw the director Jonas Poher Rasmussen utilize three distinct types of visuals which helped emphasize the pain Nawabi felt when his father was taken away. In chronological order of the film, Rasmussen decided to introduce the topic of Nawabi’s father with a colorful cartoon adaptation of Nawabi’s family, excluding Nawabi’s father, sitting together in their house in Afghanistan. Rasmussen then shifts from this cartoon adaptation to a real televised film featuring the new Afghani government. The final transition of this sequence occurs when Rasmussen transitions to an indistinct black and white description of the moment Nawabi’s father was taken from the family. All these shifts in visuals effectively helped me understand the pain Nawabi felt when his father was taken away from him. With a cartoon depiction of a true story, it is easy to forget what being depicted is an actual true story. It is easy to get lost in the colorful visuals of the cartoon depiction of Nawabi’s story, but Rasmussen manages to reel the audience back by introducing a real televised film that introduces context as to why Nawabi’s father could have been taken, the reason being the new Afghani government felt threatened by Nawabi’s father’s presence. The introduction of the real televised scene helped remind me that the film is based on a true story, and that the events described not only happened in history, but also happened to multiple Afghan families who were all victim to the new Afghani government. Apart from that, Rasmussen’s decision to provide an indistinct black and white visual was also effective. The stark contrast between the buildup to Nawabi’s story about his father, which was colorful, to the actual scene depicting his father’s departure, which was black and white, made me realize how negatively impacted Nawabi was by his father’s removal. In contrast to the colorful animations, the black and white animations are impactful because they are limited and tend to focus on the more traumatic moments of Nawabi’s life. Having a distinction and purposely making Nawabi’s father’s removal displayed in different tones helped emphasize how pained Nawabi felt by his dad’s removal. Also, I thought it was an interesting approach to have the scene of Nawabi’s dad visually indistinct compared to the earlier animated depictions which were very color and detailed focused. The indistinctness of the black and white scene emphasizes how the removal of his dad was a blur for Nawabi; perhaps the moment was so painful, he doesn’t want to remember it.  

In terms of narrative choices, I believe the music accompanying each scene and narration helps reinforce the mood the director wanted to portray. In comparison to the colorful animation, the realistic televised scene introduced eerie background music which helped emphasize a scary mood. This is effective in that it emphasizes how scared Nawabi was by the new Afghani government. He was scared by the fact that they had the power to take his father, but also the eerie music can re-emphasize how the government mysteriously made his father “disappear.” On the other hand, in the black and white scene where the father was taken away, violin instrumental was used to build a sympathetic mood for Nawabi. It makes sense to use a slow-paced violin in the background, because Nawabi frequently mentions how he views the removal of his father as “sad.” All in all, the director Ramussen’s specific visual and narrative choices were very effective because they all helped emphasize how traumatized Nawabi is by the removal and “disappearance” of his father.

Refugees are individuals forced to leave their home countries due to an unbearable fear of persecution, violence, or conflict due to factors such as race, religion, or nationality. They consequently seek safety and protection in another country. However, although this is the truth of countless lives across the world, we are blind to the story and experience as many refugees remain quiet about their traumas due to a well-found fear of being further persecuted or even sent back to the country they abandoned. Yet, director Ramussen is able to capture the pain of a refugee in his film “Flee” and share the touching story with the world.

The film “Flee” follows the story of Amin Nawabi, an Afghan refugee living in Denmark. Amin shares his personal and harrowing journey as a child refugee fleeing Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War. His family faced numerous hardships and dangers as they sought safety and a better life in Europe. “Flee” is a touching exploration of identity, trauma, resilience, and the universal human desire for a sense of belonging. It features very innovative storytelling and an ability to shed light on the experiences of refugees, making it both a personal and universal tale of survival and hope.

The unique aspect of “Flee” is its blending of animation with Amin’s interviews. The animation sequences help visualize Amin’s memories and emotions, adding a layer of depth to his narrative. The film not only explores the physical struggles of migration but also delves into the psychological and emotional toll it takes on individuals and families.

Without conversation, stories remain untold and history is left unmade. The conversations, particularly the interviews with Amin Nawabi, serve as the primary means of storytelling. Through these interviews, Amin shares his personal experiences, memories, and emotions related to his journey as a refugee. These emotionally charged conversations form the narrative backbone of the film, allowing the audience to connect with Amin’s life and understand his perspective. Amin’s accounts of his family’s struggles, the dangers they faced, and the sacrifices they made elicit a strong emotional response from the audience. The candid and intimate nature of these conversations makes it easier for viewers to empathize with Amin and the challenges he and his family encountered. Amin’s conversations also touch upon themes of identity and self-reflection. As he recounts his experiences as a refugee and the process of seeking asylum in Denmark, he grapples with questions of identity, belonging, and the impact of his past on his present. These conversations highlight the complex interplay between personal history and one’s sense of self.

“Flee” uses conversations to humanize the refugee experience. By sharing Amin’s personal story and allowing him to speak directly to the audience, the film challenges stereotypes and preconceptions about refugees. It emphasizes the shared humanity of individuals who have undergone similar journeys and hardships. Through conversations, the film connects Amin’s past with his present life. They reveal how the experiences of his childhood continue to shape his adult life and relationships, underscoring the long-lasting impact of trauma and displacement. Amin’s conversations in the film can be seen as a form of catharsis and healing. Opening up about his past and sharing his story can be therapeutic for him, allowing him to process his experiences and come to terms with his history. Overall, conversations in “Flee” serve as a means of storytelling, emotional engagement, self-exploration, and humanization. They allow the audience to connect with the film’s central character, Amin, and gain a deeper understanding of the refugee experience and the complex interplay of identity and trauma.

As a viewer, I was surprised by the power of Amin Nawabi’s personal narration. His ability to convey his experiences and emotions through interviews and conversations draws viewers into his world and makes them feel deeply connected to his story. Despite focusing on a specific individual’s journey, “Flee” manages to touch on universal themes of identity, belonging, family, and resilience. The film’s ability to resonate with audiences from various backgrounds is surprising and speaks to its broad appeal. Amin’s personal narration humanizes the refugee experience, going beyond statistics and headlines to provide a personal, relatable account of the challenges and triumphs faced by refugees.