Category: Reading Responses (Page 6 of 10)

In Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s film, Flee Amin Nawabi’s story personalizes and puts into perspective the plight of refugees, especially those fleeing the Afghan-Soviet War. Through both the stylistic choices made by Rasmussen and the personalized story of Amin Nawabi, Flee offers insights into the disconsolate emotions of refugees as they endure the hardships of trying to feel safe. Over the course of the film, Amin Nawabi is asked to recall his story as a little boy fleeing the war-torn capital of Kabul, in which his circumstances become increasingly strenuous.

Initially, Nawabi comes off as courageous and intelligent, yet as the film progresses, we get more insight into his grit and determination, one that never quits in his pursuit of a better life. In many ways, Nawabi’s experiences give the audience more perspective on the challenges faced by Refugees as we gain insight into his thinking and the emotional turmoil he faces especially as a gay man fleeing Afghanistan. In the turbulent time in which the story takes place, Nawabi’s story also encapsulates his loss of childhood, giving more perspective to the hardships faced by refugees.

Although all parts of Rasmussen’s film evoked my emotions, I’d say I was most moved by the sequence in which Nawabi was fleeing Russia towards Sweden by Boat. In this scene, Nawabi’s mother is seen clearly struggling due to her seasickness. Although the refugees are offered a semblance of hope from an oncoming Norweigan ship, it is later revealed that the crew onboard the ship reported them to the Estonian police, sending them back to Russia to be jailed. Through this sequence of events, we gain insight into how Amin Nawabi feels being a refugee, saying that he feels embarrassed regarding his circumstances. For me, Nawabi’s emotions moved me in the sense that they humanized him even more. Instead of worrying about the potential of escaping Russia, he was more worried about how he was perceived as if he had no agency and was at the mercy of those on that boat. Although it’s easy to describe the quantity of Refugees, it’s incredibly difficult to pay homage to their exigent journies.

The use of real video mixed with animation is a notable artistic decision that does a great job of drawing viewers into Amin’s world helping to personalize the refugee experience. The use of animation helps him express the story he wants to tell while also making up for any missing footage that only exists in memory while also allowing for a personal and creative artistic exploration to help create the story he wants to tell. Nonetheless, certain aspects, such as the use of a pseudonymous name and the omission of faces in many scenes, may raise doubts about the authenticity and accuracy of Amin’s account. While this may introduce an element of skepticism, it also underscores the anonymity and invisibility that often shroud refugees, reinforcing the overarching theme of identity and displacement. Perhaps Amin is not yet ready to fully present himself to the world, which speaks volumes about a possible ongoing struggle. My initial impressions were that this was a typical refugee story but I came to find out it is much more than that. Amin’s personal story is skillfully intertwined into the film’s investigation of his sexuality. His struggle with his sexual identity initially seems to be unrelated to the experience of being a refugee, but it gradually becomes clear that it is integral to his overall journey

The moment Amin and his brother were captured by Russian authorities was one scene that particularly stuck out to me. This scene effectively illustrates the ongoing danger and vulnerability that refugees experience in their journey revealing Amin’s helplessness and moral predicament as he sees another female who was also apprehended by the Russian police and is presumed to have then been likely sexually assaulted later on in the van. This scene draws on a major subject of the film, the loss of agency and ethical compromises that frequently plague the lives of refugees and forcing them from making choices and taking measured risks to navigate dangerous situations the constant fear and concealment he endures also echo in his journey of self-discovery, underscoring the chronic fear and trauma that he carries as a refugee and as someone who was gay. His story and the story of countless others finding their path towards a new home is not just physical but a spiritual journey. 

Another scene that I wanted to bring up that is both heart wrenching and inspiring to see is when Amin asks a doctor for a “cure” for being gay. It illustrates the significant impact of society conventions and self-imposed expectations, maintaining a pervasive sense of unacceptance, and illuminates the cultural constraints that drove him to repress his true self. Amin eventually accepts his sexuality and enters a gay bar, the anxiety and tension leading up to this moment were intense as he revealed to his family that he was gay, but that moment when he fully accepted himself with the assurance that his family accepted him stands as a testament to his unwavering resilience and triumph over the difficulties he has faced. This narrative arc underscores that even amid adversity, individuals like Amin can draw strength from their authentic selves, knowing that their family will always embrace them.

By hearing a specific story and putting a name to the face of someone who has gone through something traumatic, we feel closer to that event and that person’s perspective of it. Ramussen’s choice to tell the story of human trafficking among Afghan refugees in the documentary Flee through Amin Nawabi helps the audience feel a connection to the event from the very beginning. This is because we were told the story through Nawabi’s eyes and his specific experience impacts the information that we receive. The animated style through which the story was portrayed also added a degree of detail that the old clips could not capture. It was through this that the audience could visualize Amin’s daily life- from watching TV with his family in Russia to simply finding a cat in the yard. Although some of the details conveyed in the documentary did not directly pertain to his escape from Afghanistan and Russia, they made the story far more personal to the audience, making it easier to feel moved by his experiences.

One scene toward the middle of the documentary that caught my eye was when Amin Nawabi began to recall the experience of attempting to traveling from Russia by boat. The animators used flashbacks from this period of his life to convey the story. This consisted of many shadows, mysterious figures, and dark colors to better represent the overall mood that comprised this event. These were all strategies to show that this was an incredibly uncertain time period filled with fear for his safety, family, and future. By tapping into the audience’s emotions through the use of skilled animation and personal anecdotes, the event felt much more humanized than it would have been had it been written plainly in the news.

Later on, once Amin has arrived, he has the means to explore himself to see what the future holds for him. In conjunction with this, the animation style felt more lively and subsequently portrayed a sense of hope, rather than a fear of the unknown. My view of how I saw Nawabi changed as his vision for himself also did. Learning to be comfortable with being gay and then growing into his new life after fleeing from home lifted many burdens that he has carried for a while. At the end, the sequence regarding Amin and his partner buying a peaceful house with a nice landscape represents the peace that finally ends the struggles he has endured for the majority of his life.

Back to Where We Started

When I think of a refugee, I often think of someone escaping from a dangerous situation to a safer place where they could live their lives safely, and find opportunities that they couldn’t find before. However, the film Flee, directed by Poher R. Jonas, turned my perspective completely on its head. Throughout the film, we follow a man named Amin Nawabi, whose story humanizes the plight of refugees like no other. He escaped Afghanistan with his family as a child just as the Afghan War broke out. Like many Afghan refugees at the time, they escaped to the Soviet Union, where he and his brother were safe from being drafted into a war that tore down their hometown, but his family was not safe from the despair and corruption of the USSR. There, they lived in fear every day of being caught and sent back by the police. The corruption of the police leads to them harassing refugees, and stealing their money in exchange for letting them stay with illegal papers. This began their journey of saving up every penny to be taken to a safer place via human traffickers, a dangerous option, and yet, their only one. Nawabi eventually makes it to Denmark, where he grapples with keeping his story and sexual orientation a secret. The most impactful moment to me, however, was during his family’s first attempt at escaping Soviet Russia together.

While in the USSR, Nawabi’s mother was able to send his two sisters away with human traffickers, where they eventually made it to Sweden having barely survived. This foreshadows how dangerous future attempts to escape would become, and it is shown when Amin, his mother, and his brother all attempt to escape together. They end up treading through treacherous snowy weather in the middle of a forest on their way to a boat with a group of refugees being led by a trafficker. The trafficker was ruthless, threatening people who were too slow or falling behind, and forcing them all into the hull of a small ship. Once water began to leak in during a terrible storm, the refugees had no choice but to bail water out to prevent the boat from sinking. After the storm cleared, they encountered a Norwegian cruise ship passing by, and they began celebrating, calling out to the passengers on board. They believed that they had been saved, and as Nawabi points out, “It’s a fantastic opportunity! All of a sudden… everything we want to achieve is right there. You could almost reach out and touch it.” (Flee  50:51). Shortly after he says this, the loudspeakers on the Norwegian cruise ship tell the refugees that Estonian border police have been called, and they are being taken back. The cheering ends, fear freezes their bodies and despair fills their eyes, all as the people on the cruise ship take photos of them. This moment of the film caused a deep pit to form in my stomach, similar to how I experienced anxiety and fear. I feared for the refugees and what they were about to go through, which was inhumane and dark. Their lives were already filled with being homesick, depressing losses,  and grains of hope falling through the cracks that were made with every failure they experienced whilst trying to escape. I wondered how and when Nawabi was going to make it to Sweden, even though his telling of the story makes it clear that he did at some point. It was even possible that he and his family would be sent back to Afghanistan, and how would they make it back then? Throughout the trip, his mother dreaded being on the ship, and couldn’t stand being on it. I wondered how she would recover from this traumatic experience, as well as the others she had already gone through. I wondered what might happen to all the refugees that were caught as well, and how they would survive. I realized that all these thoughts and questions were everything to the refugees themselves, who made it this far, only to find themselves getting sent back. In general, the moment moved me to feel worried for the refugees and made me realize that refugees have to go from place to place in fear of being thrown back to where they started.

Throughout the film, we first see Nawabi lie about his family being dead, before talking about his family more in depth. When his sisters escaped to Sweden, I was caught off guard by the fact they were alive, because I thought they were supposed to be dead, and the rest of his family would soon follow. When I learned that the reason why he says it is to protect his family and himself, to make sure he stays in Denmark, I found his circumstances to be further heartbreaking, because he had to keep a major part of his life a secret to make it out, and could not talk to anyone about the traumatic events he experienced. The animated film Flee has made the world and struggles of refugees into a visual story that cuts deep into the traumatic experiences and decisions refugees have to make.

Works Cited:

“Flee.” , directed by Poher R. Jonas. , produced by Charlotte de la Gournerie, et al. , Ro*Co Films, 2021. Alexander Street, https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/Flee.

During the film, Flee, I noticed one scene that caught my attention from the very beginning. This was an amazing scene that hooked me, a viewer, into the film and worked perfectly. It all started with Amin Nawabi starting his flashback with his eyes closing. I believe stories are powerful and help convey their importance if told through memories or flashbacks.

The closing of the eyes indicated that things will be told in sequential order, from the very beginning of the story. This is a powerful technique in films and helps to capture the viewer’s attention and to keep their attention for the rest of the film.

The start of Nawabi’s story is very intriguing, as we get to find out soon that his family is alive and well, but he isn’t strong enough to reveal the information yet. During this moment in the film, we realize that Nawabi has been burdened by not only his sexual identity but also by hiding the secrets of his family and his origins as well. Being a Muslim and a gay man is very difficult and even harder to hold a secret for so long, yet Nawabi was able to hold it in for 20 years. I can attest to this because being a gay Muslim is very unorthodox and unheard of. Not only will it create an uproar within society but even more so within the family. All in all, Amin Nawabi was able to tell his life story and how he came to be who he is and why he is the way he is, helps me better understand the situations that he was put in, throughout his lifetime.

Another great aspect of the film was the idea of Amin Nawabi and his family constantly being on the move. The emphasis on being a refugee and not having a “home” creates sympathy/empathy for Nawabi. This was a great use of Pathos by the creator of the film. Using such scenes, like the one where Nawabi, his brother, and his mother are walking through a forest, to a boat that will take them to Sweden, helps bring out the emotions of the viewers and helps them retain their attention throughout the film. This scene was a pivotal moment in the film as we get to see how Nawabi and his family were involved in such terrifying circumstances and were able to escape alive, yet again, proving the vital usage of pathos within the film.

In the end, it was an amazing film that was organized, directed, and produced in a great manner. Being able to take a ride down memory lane with Amin Nawabi, helped me to take a hold of my relatable identity. This film created a stronger foundational base for me and how I see myself as being a gay man just like Amin Nawabi. It helped reinforce the fact that I cannot escape my past by hiding it but by being able to face it head-on.

The specific sequence that evoked an emotional response for me is Ramussen’s choice to first include Amin reading out loud his notes, revealing that the Muiahideen “killed [his] father, kidnapped [his] sister, and killed [his] mother and brother,” followed by the unveiling of Nawabi’s secret that his family is not actually dead. This sequence of events makes it seem like Nawabi is not just telling his story but also confessing it and releasing a burden that has been weighing him down from when he was a child. The decision to include that note within the first ten minutes of the film but only revealing the full context and glimpses of the story behind when and where that note was written is a stylistic choice that captivated my attention as a viewer, and it made me question whether the ghosts of our memories are something that we have to carry in silence or are we obligated to share our secrets with the world when we know truths that no one else can ever know?

I found that the style of the movie and the pieces of animation hint at inspirations from Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir about the invasion of Lebanon, which is very interesting because both of the stories told by the respective producers using a similar animation style allow stories of fleeing, refugees, and escape to exist as their own genre. They are both part of a larger movement of documentaries that attempt to liberate millions of people through telling the story of just one person. 

Another unique characteristic of the documentary Flee is the producer’s method of incorporating archived videos and footage in between the moments of animation, including in the specific scenes as part of the sequence described above. The mixture of these different forms of media give voice to Amin’s past and add new layers of depth to his life story. The style reflects the world in which Amin lives, where his reality is a combination of the perceptions of his past that still haunt him juxtaposed with his need to make sense of the present while carrying the burdens and visions of his past. The decision not to make the film a live action and to instead use animations humanizes Amin’s story because it allows us to see the struggle to survive of one person, one son, one brother, one child, and one family. When we see the news and crowds of people fleeing their countries or escaping difficult conditions, we become desensitized to the issue rather than upset or angered by it. When we hear the stories of how badly Amin wanted to survive, despite it meaning that he would have to pay human traffickers to bring him to a new place and be willing to spend months at a time without going outside in order to avoid the Soviet police, we realize that all he, and the millions of other refugees who face the same destiny, wanted to do was survive. His determination to escape and his journey enables us to remember the humanity within one another and, most importantly, in victims of their conditions and who are trying to find a place they can call home. 

We only find out the simultaneously shocking and relieving truth about his mom and siblings being alive towards the middle and end of the film, which is a device the producer uses to force the viewers to carry the burden of a dead family alongside Amin, not because his family is dead but because he had to create a new reality for himself where his family is not alive. And that is the reality that he has had to live for. The impact of this decision and the way in which it was portrayed is a reminder to the viewers of the broken fractures that displaced victims of war and violence have to live with as a result of their pasts. It brings to light issues of the past and issues of the now, reminding us that war is not only a physical experience. It is a sensation that victims must carry with them long after they have finally found a place to call home. 

While watching the short film Flee, one important storyline that stuck out to me was the main character, Nawabi’s journey with discovering his sexual orientation and realizing that he was gay. This discovery made his experience during the refugee’s plight unique because he was constantly worried that he would not be accepted by his family, and then he would really have no one he felt safe around.

The short film uses the stylistic choice of flashbacks back to Nawabi’s childhood, in which many he reflects on the first memories of realizing he preferred dating men. He remembers staring at celebrities he found handsome, confused about why he felt this way. At one point he even remembers asking for medication to fix his sexual preferences because he thought there was something wrong with him.

Nawabi was already feeling confused and upset because of how the government in Afghanistan was treating him and his people. Him and members of his family eventually had to flee in order to find a place with more freedom. Nawabi had no real father figure for much of his life, as the government took his father away for suspicion that he was committing treason. With no male figure to talk to, Nawabi was left on his own to try and discover his true self. He had to do this all in the midst of facing discrimination and torture by his government, and eventually while escaping the country on his own.

Although Nawabi did know he had some family still alive, he was forced to life for many years In order to protect himself from getting sent back to Afghanistan. He had to hide his true self from those around him, including his family whom he couldn’t see because they too had escaped to a different country and had to lie to protect themselves. This means that he had no one to open up to about his sexuality.
When Nawabi eventually was able to see his family, he was still concerned about telling them about being gay, because in his culture this was often unacceptable and families were known for banishing their children because of their homosexuality. Luckily, when he did tell his family they explained they knew all along and welcomed him with open arms.

Nawabi’s journey to discovering his sexuality makes his refugee experience unique because he not only had to hide his true identity for years to protect himself, but for most of his life he had to hide a large part of who he was (his sexuality) for fear of being rejected from his country and his family. The flashbacks made throughout the short film helped to highlight this as an older and more confident Nawabi reflects on his experiences growing up as a gay refugee.

Photography used in social media has created an impact on not only how we perceive our lived experience but how we perceive ourselves. This has created a generation of developing teens that are in the process of finding their identity while also competing against the standards created by social media influencers who post photographs that document unrealistic levels of appearance. The photographs on social media hold a powerful role in shaping our perception on what the “physical norm” is of the world around us. 

With the emergence of the fitness industry taking over platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok, creators on these apps have harnessed the visual capabilities of photography to display their physical prowess and document their fitness journey. This form of photography has changed how individuals perceive their own body image and has both a positive and negative impact.  

Looking at the brighter side of fitness photography, creators may inspire transformations in unhealthy individuals by showing why hard work and dedication may be fruitful to lead a better lifestyle. Specifically in the personal training sector of the fitness industry, displaying photographs on social media that showcase trainers in peak athletic form may increase the number of clients they receive. They essentially market themselves as an inspiration to take classes from the creator of the account. While this may inspire and motivate, it is unrealistic to expect everyone to achieve the body of the trainers they hire or the creators that they follow.  

This inability to reach the aesthetic form of the influencers people follow, creates problems with idealized body image. I have scrolled on endless gym Tik Toks with users who deliberately curate their feed to show themselves at their peak aesthetic form (pump after a workout, lighting, photo retouching.) These images effectively contribute to unrealistic beauty standards and distort our perception of what an achievable physique may look like. It is often that consumers are surprised with the difference between how an influencer is displayed on their Instagram versus what they look like walking around in everyday life. Fitness mogul, David Laid, has been idealized since the emergence of these large social media apps. But once videos recorded showed his non curated physique, he has faced backlash from followers for misleading and now is faced with photoshopping accusations. This view from Laid’s followers mirror the same objective opinion made by Beaumont Newhall, mentioned in the article “When Staged Photography Becomes Art”, that “straight, pure and non-staged photography was the only type possible” to be respected by consumers. This perspective brought by Newhall should be acknowledged because this led to the definition and expansion of photography in the 20^th century. The truthfulness and objectively realistic nature of the type of photography described by Newhall is still respected to this day because of how a non staged photograph is candid in nature.

Yes, people have a right to agree with Newhall, but there is honor in staged fitness photography only if the staged nature is expressed to followers. While it may not be ethical to portray a physique that is not possible to achieve, the way we can resolve the immoral behavior to post this content on social media is through transparency. And now in the fitness industry we thankfully have creators who make videos showing just how much a physique can change based on having a workout pump and lighting. This transparency is just what we need in this industry because it is up to the consumer to interpret the content they view.

Overall, the images we view on Instagram and Tik Tok can both motivate and distort, inspire and deceive, depending on how they are posted online. It is of utmost importance that users of these apps approach fitness content knowing that it is often the most idealized version of reality they are seeing. We must balance the scales of idealization and realism to ensure that our perception of our lived experience is not being negatively impacted by curated fitness photographs that are posted online.  

In today’s world, there has been a noticeable increase in the public’s use of photography. The catalyst behind this trend can certainly be traced back to technological advancements that allow more people to participate in photography. For example, the inventions of smartphones have reduced the need of an actual camera to take photos, and because smartphones are easily accessible for the public, the action of taking photos have also become accessible and thus popular among the public. With that being said, society’s increased uptake in photography has revealed a lot about both photographers and their audiences. The photographs themselves reveal the subconscious interests of photographers and their audience.

It’s easy to assume that photographs reveal the photographer’s interests because people tend to take pictures of subjects that cause strong emotions for them whether it be a feeling of awe or disgust. However, the specific elements highlighted in the photograph of the subject provides a closer look into the subconscious interests and priorities of the photographer. Author Susan Sontag summarizes this idea perfectly in her book On Photography which states, “Even when photographers are most concerned with mirroring reality, they are still haunted by tacit imperatives of taste and conscience” (Sontag 4). In other words, photographs reveal a world that’s subjective to the photographer. Even if five different photographers were tasked with taking a picture of the same subject, the pictures would be different because each photographer would choose to highlight something that peaks their own interest. This is suggested by Sontag as she mentioned a group of photographers tasked with photographing a sharecropper ended up taking pictures where their subjects’ facial expression “supported their own notions about poverty, light, dignity, texture, exploitation, and geometry” (Sontag 4). As you can see, even though the main subject was a sharecropper, it wasn’t necessarily what they were interested in photographing; you can see the photographer’s subconscious interests by understanding the small details that were taken into consideration while taking the photograph. Photographers who were primarily interested in today’s poverty issue would try to highlight that aspect in their photograph of the sharecropper, while those who may prioritize the daunting conditions of life as a sharecropper may highlight the blazing sun behind the sharecropper.  

Apart from revealing the photographer’s subconscious interests, photographs also reveal the subconscious interests of its audience. Sontag touches on this topic as she mentions, “A photograph that brings news of some unsuspected zone of misery cannot make a dent in public opinion unless there is an appropriate context of feeling and attitude” (Sontag 12). How I chose to interpret this line follows: when you view a photograph, the photograph itself cannot enforce emotions onto the viewer unless the viewer already has an established connections with the subject of the picture. For example, “photographs of ill-clad, skeletal prisoners held at Andersonville inflamed Northern public opinion—against the South” (Sontag 21). As you can see, the depictions of prisoners who were malnourished and weren’t properly dressed for the weather ignited a strong fury among Northern public viewers. This is particularly because the Northern public were interested in the Civil War fight, and upon seeing these horrendous images, it made them feel angry because they realized how inhumane their enemies, the South public, were towards their fighters. To come back full circle, photographs are very vulnerable because, to viewers, they can either ignite strong feelings of awe or disgust depending on the subject portrayed. To have a strong reaction, emphasizes how the subject of the photograph is of interest to the viewer because people react nonchalantly to topics of insignificance to them. All in all, photographs have the power to reveal the subconscious interests of both the photographer and viewers. With the continuous advancement of technology, there have been updates made to allow AI to generate photographs. As to what AI generated photos reveal about the “photographers” subconscious interest is still subject to questioning, but perhaps the interests among the audience will still remain apparent. 

A photograph is an instant captured through technology, allowing that moment to be preserved past its time. However, this once-pure idea of preservation has experienced a great amount of change over the past few decades. While photography continues to allow viewers to observe and appreciate natural things/occurrences, photography has also grown subject to staging. Staging is definitely a great part of art, as artists use their own discretion to create their photographic pieces. However, this posing culture in social media has become an issue when it comes to the perception of these images and their effects on viewers.

In her article, On Photography, Susan Sontag wrote, “a photograph is both a pseudo-presence and a token of absence,” (2). In this, she speaks on idea that viewers are able to grasp both the presence and absence of something in their lives through a photograph. They are able to feel envy due to the photo, but also feel the comfort of its existence. In this post of an aesthetically pleasing food spread, the image is unrealistically organized and staged for the photograph. This staged photograph has the power to induce feelings in a viewer, creating both feelings of longing and comfort. However, they do create unrealistic exceptions of experiences and products because the staging creates an ideal to be perceived through someone else’s lived experience. Thus, a subsequent attempt at recreating something photographed often brings about disappointment. In addition, the physical action of taking these photographs often ruins the experience itself as the pressure of capturing the perfect frame overpowers possible enjoyment.

Moreover, Sontag further wrote, “photographs can abet desire in the most direct, utilitarian way—as when someone collects photographs of anonymous examples of the desirable as an aid to masturbation,” (2). This idea can also be seen in the use of vision boards as many people are able to use them for motivation. These images create a feeling that what is pictured already exists in one’s life, thus urging the viewer to live as if they already own it. However, the corresponding feeling of longing often acts as a catalyst for the necessary approach the viewer would have to take to achieve the pictured goal.

Images hold the power to induce countless emotions in a viewer, regardless of whether they are staged or not. They capture moments in time, freezing them for eternity so that they can be observed and analyzed forevermore. However, posing culture has come to influence the ways in which they are perceived and the effects images can have on viewers. While these effects can be both beneficial and unfavorable, photographs exist for more than just viewing-purposes and hold great influence on human experiences.