All language subtitles for Flee.2021.DANISH.1080p.BluRay.x265-VXT

[SUSPENSEFUL
STRING MUSIC PLAYING]

[INTERVIEWER IN DANISH] What
does the word 'home' mean to you?

AMIN:
Home?

It's someplace safe.

Somewhere...

...you know you can stay,
and you don't have to move on.

It's not someplace temporary.

[GULLS CAWING]

INTERVIEWER:
Scoot up a bit, just a little.

A bit down again.
Like that. Perfect.

I also have to do this.

- So if you close your eyes...
- Yes.

...and try to take a deep breath.

Just relax completely.

[INHALES]

[EXHALES]

INTERVIEWER: Have you
ever told your story before?

No.

But you're okay with telling me?

Yes.

Then I think that...

You don't have to tell me yet.
Just think back to your earliest memory.

What's the earliest thing
you remember?

[STREET NOISES]

["TAKE ON ME" BY A-HA
PLAYING ON HEADPHONES]

I'm three or four years old.

Hey! Watch out!

Where are you?

We're in Afghanistan, in Kabul.

♪ Oh, the things that you say ♪

♪ Is it a life or
Just to play my worries away? ♪

♪ You're all the things
I've got to remember... ♪

INTERVIEWER:
Can you describe yourself?

AMIN: I think I always
had a tendency...

to be a little different.

Let's just put it like that.

♪ Take me on... ♪

I wasn't afraid of wearing
my sister's dresses...

...my youngest sister's
nightgown.

I liked the attention.

♪ Take on me
Take on me ♪

♪ Take me on
Take on me ♪

♪ I'll be... ♪

INTERVIEWER:
Where are you in Kabul?

AMIN:
In the house where I was born.

[BOY SOBS]

[SPEAKING DARI]

- Where are your parents?
- [IN DANISH] My mum is inside.

I just know she is.

[WOMAN HUMMING]

[WOMAN IN DARI] There you go, sweetie.
That should do the trick.

[AMIN IN DANISH] At night, I put my
head on her lap, and she strokes my hair.

No one can do it like her.

When I look at my mother,

I wish I could see what she
looked like when she was young.

I've seen photos of her
with dark black hair,

but I only remember her with gray.

[IN DARI] Go back and play.
Dinner will be ready in an hour.

Dad took me by the hand,
and we walked the airstrip together.

He lifted me up and
put me in the cockpit.

It didn't have a steering wheel.

It was like a joystick,
with buttons everywhere.

[AMIN IN DANISH] My sister is
telling us stories about my father.

[IN DARI] ...and then we took off!
He said:

"It's important that you don't
touch any buttons.

"If you hit the wrong one,
it'll go kaboom!"

Then we flew off, into the clouds...

...and we could see
to the end of the world!

It was amazing!

[AMIN IN DANISH] Lots of it is true,

but she makes a lot up too.

My brother and I are completely
in awe of what she is telling us.

[IN DARI] He said that as long as he
was there, nothing would ever happen tome.

[AMIN IN DANISH]
I remember feeling jealous.

INTERVIEWER:
Why were you jealous?

Because she is telling us about
all these great things

that my brother and I never
got to experience...

...being together with our
father.

INTERVIEWER:
Where is your father?

Can we just talk before we start?

Yes, of course.

Uh...

Some things are hard to talk about.

It's still tough,

but I need to come to terms with them.

It's my past, I can't run away
from it, and I don't want to.

I might be ready in
half a year, a year.

Of course.
We'll take it at your pace.

I'm just glad that you are
finally ready to tell your story.

I remember back in high school,

I had no clue.

There were so many stories
going around, like:

"Did you hear he walked
all the way from Afghanistan?"

[BOTH LAUGHING]

- Good one!
- I didn't know what to believe.

There were stories like that.

AMIN: Wow!

INTERVIEWER: I remember
the first time I saw you.

There weren't a lot
of immigrants back then.

You were wearing a black and
white checkered shirt. Remember?

Yes, I do.

- And Buffalo shoes.
- That's me.

- I thought, "He's cool."
- Fearless.

You kept staring straight ahead, like
you were trying not to attract attention.

I don't think you noticed me.

I was surprised we
got off at the same stop.

Look,
I think it's from our Junior year?

Yes, it's Junior prom.

AMIN: Check out those fancy shoes!
Everything was tip top.

[BOXES RUSTLING]

Here it is.

This is where my story begins.

I wrote it all down,
when I got to Denmark.

INTERVIEWER:
Can you try to read it?

[AMIN LAUGHS]

It'll be hard.

I'm not that good at
reading Dari anymore.

Uh...

[READING IN DARI]

[IN DANISH] I can't even
read my own handwriting.

Uh...

After the Mujahideen...

The Mujahideen seized power
in Afghanistan...

[READING IN DARI]

[TRANSLATING INTO DANISH]
They killed my father,

kidnapped my sister,
and killed my mother and brother.

If I had stayed,
they would likely have killed me too.

It was pretty intense.

INTERVIEWER: Have you
told Kasper any of these stories?

No.

INTERVIEWER: Kasper,
I'm going to start filming.

Okay.

Hey.

[KISSES]

See if it needs more salt.

INTERVIEWER:
When are you getting married?

When we find a place to live.

First of all, I want you to come home.

Yeah.

Secondly, I want a place
where we can have a party.

If we need to wait till we can have
a party, it'll take a while. [LAUGHS]

Maybe I'll just go buy us
a house while you're away.

You'll just have to deal with it then.

[DISHES CLATTER]

Sorry.

INTERVIEWER: When
do you leave tomorrow?

I have to be at the airport at 10.

How long this time?

Till June.

I'll be back for a few months
and then leave again.

- You leave again?
- I think so.

Kasper has no idea.
[CHUCKLES]

Where are you going?

Back to the US.

Did you get an e-mail from
your professor at Princeton?

No, a letter.
He wants me to do a post-doc.

[LAUGHS]

To continue your research?

Yes.

What does Kasper say about that?

We haven't really talked about it.

[MEOWS]

[INTERVIEWER CLEARS THROAT]

Last time we spoke,
we talked about your father.

Are you up to talking more about that?

Yes, it's just sad.

If we're back in Kabul
during your childhood,

where is your father?

[INDISTINCT STREET NOISES]

[SPEAKING DARI]

[AMIN IN DANISH]
We don't know.

He was taken away.

Why?

["L'INTERNATIONALE" PLAYING]

Arise, you victims of oppression!

Arise, you prisoners of want!

AMIN: Because the Afghan
government saw him as a threat

to communist rule,

after they overthrew
the monarchy in the late '70s...

...in 1979.

They rounded up about 3,000 people,

including my father.

My mother told me about the day
he was picked up.

- She said that he expected it.
- [BANGING ON DOOR]

- [IN DARI] Akhtar Nawabi?
- Yes?

We have orders to bring you in.

Wait here. I'll get my coat.

Okay, but hurry up!

They've come for me.

You should keep this...

...just in case.

I'm not a threat to anyone.

I'll be back soon.

[AMIN IN DANISH]
Then he was put in jail.

My mum told me that the family
was able to visit him quite often,

but three months later, he disappeared...

...just like that.

[MELANCHOLY STRING
MUSIC PLAYING]

[IN DARI] Amin, listen. You need to keep
it high and make sure the string is taut.

[AMIN IN DANISH] I spend
a lot of time with my brother.

[BROTHER CONTINUES IN DARI]

He's a real boy,
the kind who gets his hands dirty.

He breeds pigeons on our roof.

[IN DARI] Hold it tight! Be careful, Amin!
Give it to me! Give it to me!

Sorry.

[WOMEN IN DARI] I have 69 cards.
How many do you have?

52.

How about I trade you Vivek
Mushran for Anil Kapoor?

- No.
- Please, Sabia.

- I said no. I'm not interested.
- But you have two Anil Kapoors!

I'll give you Vivek Mushran
and Mamik Singh for him.

I don't need either of them,
and it's always nice to have a spare Anil.

Look at him! He's so handsome.

You really piss me off!

How do you want it?

I don't care.

Actually, I'm not in the mood for this.

[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]

[SIGHS]

[INTERVIEWER IN DANISH] When
did you first realize that you were gay?

AMIN:
I wasn't very old.

I think I've had fantasies about men
ever since I was five or six years old.

I remember one of them very clearly.

I was enamoured with
Jean-Claude Van Damme.

[AMIN LAUGHS]

Seriously. I fantasized about
him.

I also liked Jean-Claude Van Damme,
but for different reasons.

[BOTH LAUGH]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the way
I "liked" him was... different.

Yeah, well, I...

I kind of knew all along
that I was into men,

without actually knowing what
it meant.

[CALL TO PRAYER]

AMIN: In Afghanistan,
homosexuals didn't exist.

There wasn't even a word for them.

They brought shame on the family,

so it was hard to accept being gay.

[CHILDREN SHOUTING HAPPILY]

[GRUNTS]

We play volleyball every day.

Come on!

My brother and I were quite the team.

My brother is very tall
and great at spiking.

[IN DARI] Focus!

These days, terrorists are receiving

brand-new, long-range missiles
from the US government.

The US wants a Vietnam War for the
USSR in Afghanistan, but I'm telling you

that when the US supplies
the terrorists with aid

to destroy Afghanistan,

Afghanistan could well become a
second Vietnam for the US instead!

[AMIN IN DANISH] The civil war
began when my father was taken away.

They fought the Mujahideen.

The war isn't fought in Kabul proper,

so we don't notice it too much.

The only reason I notice it
is because of my brother.

He's a growing teenage boy.

He doesn't want to join the army,

but he has to.

[MEN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

- [MAN SPEAKING IN DARI]
- BOY: No!

Saif!

- [YELLING]
- [BLOWS WHISTLE]

- The police are coming!
- Stop!

Run!

- [MEN CONTINUE YELLING]
- [WHISTLE BLOWING]

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]

Saif!

Saif!

Saif!

Saif!

Mum!

Mum, they're here.
They caught him!

MOTHER: You can't stay here.

You need to hide.
Run over to Uncle Mahdi! Go!

Come back when it's dark.

Be careful!

[AMIN IN DANISH]
My brother is always on the run.

He isn't the only one either.

Thousands of Afghan boys
don't want to go to war,

and with good reason.
Most of them don't return.

They die.

[WOMAN SINGING IN DARI]

Oh my country, you suffer,
because you were betrayed.

Oh my country,
you've lost your melody, your voice.

Oh my country, you are in pain,
and there is no cure.

Oh my country...

[IN FRENCH] Mujahedeen attacks
are on the rise in Kabul

after the Soviet withdrawal.

Yesterday, seven people
were killed near Kabul Airport.

[IN ENGLISH] ...The last of the American
embassy personnel flew out of Kabul today

and went to India. Most other Western
embassies are either closed or closing.

The conventional wisdom is that when
the Soviets have completely withdrawn...

the Afghans will set on one another,

and the capital will be even
more dangerous than it is now.

[PANTING]

The Soviet transport circles downward,
firing magnesium flares

to divert any heat-seeking missiles.

The American-armed Mujahideen guerrillas
are in the mountains around the city.

[AMIN IN DANISH]
We know the Afghan army

isn't strong enough
to fend off the Taliban,

so it's just a matter of time
before they invade Kabul.

We know they will seek revenge against
people they consider "non-believers."

Amin!

AMIN:
We need to get out right away.

We pack a few things,
but we don't have time to sell anything.

[DISTANT EXPLOSION]

[IN DARI]
Amin, come on.

- [DISTANT GUNFIRE]
- [FAINT YELLING]

So you barely made it out?

Yes, at the very last minute.

[GUNFIRE]

AMIN: I cry all the way to the
airport and then, on the plane.

Yeah...

[MELANCHOLY STRING
MUSIC PLAYING]

AMIN:
We fled to Moscow.

Russia was the only country
that would grant us a tourist visa.

Russia was such a strange place
to be at the time.

We arrive a year
after the fall of communism.

People are starving,
and the supermarkets are empty.

The ruble keeps devaluing,

and they keep printing new notes.

There's a lot of crime,

and you can't trust the police.

[DOGS BARKING]

[KNOCKS]

- [IN DARI] Finally!
- Abbas! My son!

[AMIN IN DANISH] My big brother,
who lives in Sweden,

met us in Moscow when we arrived.

He rented an apartment for us.

[IN DARI]
Oh, my God! You've grown!

[AMIN IN DANISH] He fled in the '80s,
because he didn't want to go to war.

[COMMENTATING IN RUSSIAN]

[IN DARI] Go back!

Wow!

We need to get them to Sweden
as quickly as possible,

so that they can start school.
If we wait, they'll be too old.

I know. What about you, sweetheart?
Is Sweden treating you well?

Cleaning doesn't pay well,
but it's all right.

$4,600 is all I could put together.

I'll get you more when I can.

Thank you.

- When do you have to go back?
- Tomorrow. I only have two days off.

[CROWD CHANTING]

Come here, you two!

[BOTH LAUGHING]

I bet it's boring hanging out with
mum and our sisters all the time.

I'll make real men out of you,
when you get to Sweden.

Just you wait!
The girls in Sweden are beautiful!

- [IN DANISH] -What's the plan?
- Getting out of Russia.

It costs a lot of money
to get smuggled to Sweden.

By traffickers?

Yes, human traffickers.
It's the cheapest way.

You can get to Sweden for $3,000.

It's $15-20,000 for all of us.

My big brother is under
enormous pressure because of it.

He doesn't make a lot of money.

[IN RUSSIAN]
Stop! Papers, please!

Papers!

Stay there.

Your visa is expired.

Thank you.

Go on.

Beat it!

[AMIN IN DANISH] We couldn't
move about the city freely,

because we didn't have
the right papers,

so we stayed in Russia illegally.

I ran away from the police
whenever I saw them on the street.

[ROMANTIC SPANISH SONG]

[AMIN IN DANISH]
So, I'd sit at home all day,

watching Mexican soap operas.

The whole family did.
It was the highlight of our day.

[SPANISH TRANSLATED TO RUSSIAN]

- Let me help you with that suitcase.
- Oh, thank you!

- Is this your first time in Mexico City?
- Yes! I've never seen anything like it.

[AMIN IN DANISH]
And so we sit there for a year.

We just sit there, waiting to leave.

It's really hard for my brother
to put together all that money.

Then, there is only enough
to send my sisters.

[IN DARI] Call me as
soon as you get there.

Of course.

[ALL SAYING GOODBYE]

[AMIN IN DANISH] We're not
told much about the journey.

Often, the traffickers
don't know themselves.

Then we just wait for
the call from Sweden,

hoping it's them, saying they're safe.

Those traffickers

are such bastards!

I...

I think they're a bunch of
psychopaths.

[MAN IN RUSSIAN]
Get in!

You two! Get in!

[AMIN IN DANISH] They are
put inside a freight container,

with lots of other people.

[IN DARI]
It's a bit warm in here...

[AMIN IN DANISH] Then it's
loaded onto a huge cargo ship,

and surrounded by other containers,

blocking it, so they can't get out.

[WAVES CRASHING]

[PEOPLE GROANING]

[BANGING]

[TELEPHONE RINGING]

AMIN:
My older brother called.

It was... I mean, it was...

[REPORTER IN SWEDISH]
Everything seemed normal

as the MS Estonia arrived in
Stockholm from Talinn this morning.

The 1,100 passengers were unaware
of the drama happening below deck.

MAN: This is incredibly inhumane.
It's human trafficking at its worst.

[REPORTER IN SWEDISH]
Confined in a trailer were 64 refugees,

fighting to get out.

It's unclear how long
they'd been inside.

Of the 64, 26 were children,
the youngest just 8 months old.

[AMIN IN DANISH]
They nearly died on the way.

[IN DARI]
They're not well.

I think it's mainly the shock,

but they aren't saying much.

[SOBBING SOFTLY]

I know someone,
who can take a look at them.

[INTERVIEWER IN DANISH] I
just need to get one thing straight,

your two sisters survived, right?

- Yes.
- They're not dead?

And you have an older brother,
and they all live in Sweden.

Yeah.

Because... I thought
your whole family was dead.

- Yeah.
- And they're not.

No.

That's fantastic!
It's really great to hear that.

But in all these years,
you never told anyone about your family?

I think it was only
after I started university

that I began to open up a bit...

...to an ex-boyfriend.

But that didn't go so well.

I told him a little about my family.

At first he seemed...

...very understanding,

but when we had a big argument,
he used it against me.

He said he would call the police
and inform them

that my asylum was based on a lie.

Even after I broke up with him,

I was terrified of it for years.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

I think it's a great house.

It's nice.

- The property is pretty big.
- It's enormous!

- Is that also part of the property?
- Yes, all the way to the road.

It has a lot of potential.

There's a cat!

It walks around like it owns
the place.

If we bring our cat,
they'll have a big fight.

[KISSING]

- Try calling it.
- What do you say in Danish?

Here, kitty, kitty! Come here.

It wants to.
It's flirting.

Honey, look at all those
hazelnut trees!

- I think they're hazelnut.
- Come.

- Are they hazelnut?
- Yes.

He's so cute.

- They're hazelnut, right?
- Kitty...

I'm not sure.
[AMIN LAUGHS]

They're not hazelnut.
They just look like it.

KASPER: You really get into the
summer mood with the heat and...

- But can you see yourself living there?
- Yes, I can.

Really?

What do you think?

Would you be able to live there, babe?
I don't want to be out there by myself.

Yes, of course.

So you won't...

suddenly have all sorts
of commitments all the time.

AMIN: The narrow
roads and big fields...

...They remind me of my time
at the asylum centre.

I'm scared of feeling depressed
out there.

[ROMANTIC SPANISH SONG
PLAYING ON TV]

[SPANISH TRANSLATED INTO RUSSIAN]
You'll never be a part of this family.

Leave! I never want to see you
again!

But I'm carrying our child!
You can't just throw me out!

[BANGING ON DOOR]

[MAN IN RUSSIAN]
Police!

[TURNS TV OFF]

We heard a noise. Open the door!

We just want to talk to you.

[CONTINUES BANGING]

We need to see your papers!
Open the door.

[AMIN IN DANISH] Fuck! I hate them.
They're the worst people in the world.

They stank of vodka.
It was so disgusting.

[IN RUSSIAN] We know you're in there!
Open up!

[AMIN IN DANISH]
The nastiest people imaginable!

Even worse than the traffickers!

- POLICEMAN [IN RUSSIAN]: We have all day.
- [BANGING CONTINUES]

[AMIN IN DANISH] I don't
remember the day we fled,

or how we got from Russia to...

I don't remember.

[WIND WHISTLING]

We drove for hours.

Now I remember.
We are in a big truck,

which normally carried wood.

They drive us.

We're dropped off in a forest
and have to sit there and wait.

It's really cold,

and we aren't dressed warmly enough.

There are two things I'll never
forget about that night.

[IN DARI] Come on, Mother,
We need to keep up.

[IN RUSSIAN]
Faster! No talking.

Wait!

[WHEEZING COUGH]

Stop.

You there!
Keep moving. Go on!

[SNOW CRUNCHES]

[MURMURING IN DARI]

- He needs other shoes.
- We don't have any.

Are you kidding? You know we're
sneaking across the border, don't you?

- What do you want me to do?
- Take them off!

- He can't just take his shoes off!
- If you don't do it, I will!

What's going on? You can't stop.

You have to keep walking. Move!

[GUN RATTLES]

No! Stop! I'll carry him.

I'll carry him.

[IN RUSSIAN]
We won't wait for you. Go!

You have to stay there, sweetie.
He's helping us...

Thank you.

[PANTING]

Wait! Come help us!

[MUTTERING]

She's holding us up.
Why not shoot her in the head?

[AMIN IN DANISH] "We'll shoot
her in the head and leave her here."

So cold-blooded.

I'll do it.

It's easy.

No, I'll make sure she keeps up.
We'll hurry.

I think he said that to her son.

My mother was also old.

That woman...

It's good she didn't
understand Russian.

They got this boat to take us
to Sweden.

across the Baltic Sea to Sweden.

I know the boat can't...

My mother is terrified of water.

- [IN DARI] Are we all going on this boat?
- I guess.

But there's not enough room?

There has to be.

We'll never convince Mum
to get in that.

She has to.

She can't stay here.

[ALL GRUNT]

[MAN SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
You need to stay below deck,

so the coast guard won't see you.

We stripped the inside,
so there's room down there.

It will take two days to get to Sweden.
Let's go!

No... No!

- [DOOR SLAMS]
- [LOCK TURNS]

[ENGINE STARTS]

- [BOAT CREAKING]
- [WAVES CRASHING]

[AMIN IN DANISH] We sail
for a couple of hours... I think.

People start puking.

It's bad, real bad.

[ENGINE SPUTTERING]

[LOUD BANG]

Water! Water is getting in!
Help! Help!

Open up!

- [INDISTINCT YELLING]
- [WATER RUNNING]

- [BANGING]
- [PEOPLE SHOUTING]

[INTERVIEWER IN DANISH] So
you're bailing out water in the rain.

AMIN: We need to keep bailing it out,
because it keeps getting in.

The boat doesn't even have a radio,

so we can't call for help.

No one knows how to swim either.

I think it would have been
easier if it was just me.

My mother was terrified.

Whenever she talked about death,
she always mentioned water.

Dying in water, drowning,
was her worst nightmare.

INTERVIEWER:
What's going through your head?

AMIN: Who do I save first,
if the boat goes down?

Because you knew how to swim?

No.

I didn't really think about that.

Maybe I thought I could.

I have no clue.

I was more concerned...

...about who I would choose.

A few days pass.

- [HORN BLOWS IN DISTANCE]
- [GASPS]

- [ALL YELLING]
- [SHIP HORN BLARES]

Help! Over here!

Over here! Help!

It's from Norway!

[CHEERING]

[SHIP HORN BLARES]

[AMIN IN DANISH]
I don't know why,

but as I stand there,
looking at that ship,

I just can't feel the joy.

INTERVIEWER:
What's wrong?

AMIN:
I'm embarrassed...

...embarrassed and ashamed

of our situation.

People want to jump into
the water and swim to the ship.

I mean...

They think that if they jump
into the water and swim,

the ship will pick them up.

Everyone is so desperate...

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.

[MAN ON PA IN ENGLISH] We
have called the Estonian border police.

They're on their way.
They will take you back.

We have called the Estonian border police.
They're on their way.

They will take you back.

[AMIN IN DANISH] Then
the police come and take us,

men in camouflage,
with balaclavas and face paint.

They scream and shout like crazy.

I have no idea what's going on.

I'm crying and crying.
I can't stop.

I can see the fear in the adults' eyes.
They are terrified!

Even the big men... You can see
it in their eyes. They're petrified.

It really scared me.

If they are that afraid,
what will happen to us?

It must be serious.

We are locked inside
an abandoned building.

There are guards,
and on that same day,

they run barbed wire
around the building.

People were in shock.

Based on how they treated us,

we thought we would be
there for the rest of our lives.

We have no idea what will happen to us.
No one tells us anything.

Journalists come and film us.
We hope something will happen, but no.

They get their footage of poor refugees
and go home to do their TV shows...

But nothing actually happens.

It's just us and the guards.

It felt like my life had ground
to a halt.

Then, six months later,

they gave us two options:

Stay here to rot, or...

...go back to Moscow.

As soon as we arrive in Russia,
we are arrested by the Russian police.

They want to send us back
to Afghanistan,

but luckily...
the Russian police were so corrupt

that if we gave them
the last of our money,

they would let us go.

Thanks for letting me crash here.

- INTERVIEWER: You want a snack with that?
- No.

What happened?

I just needed to get away.

I told Kasper that I'm doing
my postdoc at Princeton.

- It didn't go well?
- No, it didn't.

He feels stupid because
we looked at all those houses.

He doesn't understand.

It seems as if it's more
Kasper's project than yours?

I don't know. It's his dream,
but I'd also like a place to settle down.

- But?
- Nothing.

It makes me a little nervous.

Because...

Getting out of Russia
was a tremendous gift...

a tremendous gift.
I got a life.

I couldn't just give that up or...
[SIGHS]

Yeah.

If it wasn't for my siblings,
I wouldn't be where I am today.

So, I bear a tremendous burden

on my shoulders...

...you could say.

For example, my brother had
a Finnish girlfriend for ten years.

They wanted children, but he couldn't,

because he had to save every
penny to get us out of Russia.

His girlfriend left him.

How does not moving to the
countryside help your family?

Aren't you supposed to be on my side?

When are you leaving for the US?

On Sunday.

- Sunday?
- Yes.

How long will you be gone?

I'm coming home for a few days.

So, three or four months from now?

Yes.

[ROMANTIC SPANISH MUSIC PLAYING]

[SPANISH TO RUSSIAN] Look at this place.
I can't believe it's ours!

Only the best for you, my love.

[COUGHING]

[AMIN IN DANISH]
Something happened to my mum.

She started acting strange in Russia.

She got some kind of allergy.

[COUGHS]

[CONTINUES COUGHING]

AMIN: I think she's homesick.

She misses Afghanistan.

["WHEEL OF FORTUNE"
BY ACE OF BASE PLAYING]

AMIN:
It's boring just staying home.

I'm a teenager, and I want to
experience something different,

so I go outside.

[IN ENGLISH] This is a restaurant
of Moscow-McDonald's joint venture.

This company is known around
the world for its prompt food service.

[IN DARI] When we get out of Russia,
we should go to McDonald's to celebrate.

I'd like a Big Mac and a Coke,
thank you!

[LAUGHING]

It's going to be so nice.

- [IN RUSSIAN] Hey, you! Come with me!
- No! We didn't do anything!

Let me see your papers, then.

Just as I thought.

- Stop! Don't...
- Where's your money?

We don't have any!
We just wanted to see what's going on.

Can I see that watch for a second?

Don't touch him!

Come here!

Look what I found.

Nice! I'd like to have
some fun with her.

Go on. Sit down!

What's with them?

They need to be taught a lesson.

OFFICERS: Sir!

Why are they here?

These two?
They're greedy. They won't pay.

- What about her?
- She doesn't have any money either,

we thought she could pay us
in another way.

You two! Out!

[AMIN IN DANISH] I
remember her face...

her black hair...

...big, dark eyes...

[DOOR CREAKS]

Fuck! Why didn't I protect her?
Say something? I just let it happen.

It's one of the most horrible
feelings I ever had.

[ACCORDION PLAYING
RUSSIAN FOLK SONG]

I can't do this anymore.

My brother isn't very old,

but he assumed responsibility for us.

He wants to send
my mother and I first.

[MOTHER COUGHING]

AMIN:
This time, we're very careful.

We make arrangements
with a very expensive trafficker,

because we didn't want to go
through the same things again.

We insist on a safe, secure route,

which means we only have enough
for one of us to leave.

In the end,

my brother decides
that it should be me.

It was horrible, because I felt
awful about leaving him behind.

Each week, each month, each year,

his chance of having a
decent future dwindles.

[MAN SPEAKS RUSSIAN] Get in.

[VAN DOOR SLAMS]

[VAN ENGINE STARTS]

[IN RUSSIAN] Okay. You have to
learn your name and date of birth by heart.

You're Russian. Remember that.
Speak Russian if anyone asks you anything.

Destroy the passport as soon
as you reach your final destination.

If the police catch you with a fake
passport, they'll send you back to Russia.

Stick to the story we gave you.
It's crucial.

From now on, you have no family.
They're dead.

You fled Afghanistan on your own,
without any help.

If you say anything else,
you'll be shipped back to Afghanistan.

- What do you mean?
- Don't tell anyone about your family.

You have no family.
Understand?

Good. Now get some sleep.
We have a long day tomorrow.

[ENGINE STARTS]

[AMIN IN DANISH] The traffickers
had all this power over my life.

You're left completely powerless.

[CLICKS]

["JOYRIDE" BY ROXETTE PLAYING]

♪ Come on
Join the joyride... ♪

[AMIN IN DANISH]
I'm with another young guy,

also alone, just like me.

He's nice and funny.
He makes me laugh.

He's a bit boyish, but there is
an age difference between us.

He's closer to becoming a man.

I think it's kind of sexy.

[LAUGHS]

I think I have a little crush on him.

His gold necklace is so beautiful...

Do you want to try it on?

I'm sure it will look great on you.

Very nice!

♪ She says, "Hello, you fool
I love you" ♪

♪ "C'mon join the joyride"
Join the joyride ♪

♪ She says, "Hello, you fool
I love you" ♪

♪ "C'mon join the joyride"
Join the joyride... ♪

[BELL CHIMES]

[PILOT SPEAKING RUSSIAN] Our flight
to Istanbul will take around two hours.

Thank you for flying
Ukrainian International Airlines.

♪ Hello, hello, you fool
I love you ♪

♪ C'mon join the joyride
The joyride... ♪

[IN RUSSIAN] Once you pass
by passport control on your right...

Don't stare!
Once you pass it, you're on your own.

You're going to
different destinations.

You're going to Zurich, Gate D27.

You're going to Copenhagen, Gate A9.

- I thought I was going to Sweden?
- No, you're going to Denmark.

Denmark? But...

It's the last trip, so you'll have to
manage on your own from now on.

Remember to call home as soon as you land.
It's very important.

That way, I can get my money.

Okay. Now, go!

- [IN DARI] You're going to Zurich?
- Yes, it's in Switzerland.

Do you have family there?

Is yours in Copenhagen?

Hey,
thanks for letting me borrow it.

No, keep it.

Are you sure?

Thank you.

Good luck.

You too.

[AMIN IN DANISH] It's weird
that I can't remember his name,

when he meant so much to me.

He was part of something that
had a huge influence on my life.

Then, all of a sudden, I'm flying on
my own, and landing in Copenhagen.

[INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENTS
OVER PA]

I sit there waiting for a while.

I see this big group of people,

so I start to follow them.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]

Move!

[TOILET FLUSHES]

[RIPS]

[FLUSHING]

AMIN: I think I just said
"refugee."

- [IN ENGLISH] What? Refugee?
- Refugee.

Uh...

Where's your passport?

[IN DANISH] Karin is here because you're
a minor, who arrived without a guardian.

A guardian must be present
at your interview.

[TRANSLATING TO DARI]

[AMIN IN DANISH] The interpreter
is Iranian and I'm Afghani,

so we miscommunicate.

Let's start with the formalities.
What's your name?

[TRANSLATES TO DARI]

Amin.

We need to know how you got here.

[KARIN IN DANISH]
There's nothing to worry about.

Just tell us what happened.
[MAN TRANSLATES TO DARI]

[AMIN IN DANISH]
I'm interrogated for hours.

[YOUNG AMIN IN DARI] I'm
the only survivor from my family.

[AMIN IN DANISH]
I have to stick to the story

the smuggler gave me.

[YOUNG AMIN IN DARI] I saw
my mother and sisters get killed.

[AMIN IN DANISH] I'm sobbing.

The damn story really hits me,
even though it's not true.

I'm crying uncontrollably.
The tears just keep coming.

[YOUNG AMIN IN DARI] My
father and I hid in the desert

for a year, before he was killed.

I'm surprised to be crying
over something that isn't true.

It took a month to get
from Afghanistan to Denmark.

[AMIN IN DANISH] As soon as I'm done,
I write everything down,

word for word, in Dari,
in my notebook.

[YOUNG AMIN IN DARI]
I have no one. I'm all alone.

[AMIN IN DANISH]
That's the story I told...

...everyone... until now.

It is not until we're driving
through the town square,

and I see the neon lights...

that I realize...

I'm not being sent back.

[LINE RINGS]

[IN DARI] Hello?

Abbas?

Amin?

Yes.

- Finally! Are you okay?
- Yes.

Where are you?

In Denmark.

Oh...

Why didn't you call earlier?

I couldn't find a phone.

What? I can't hear you.

I couldn't find a phone.

Okay.

I'll make the call to Moscow.

They told me to say you're all dead...

[ABBAS SIGHS]

...but you're not...

What do I tell people?

What do I say?

ABBAS: Um...

You have to do what
the trafficker said.

Keep it secret.

- But...
- I'll try to figure out a way to meet.

I'll let you know.

Take care of yourself.

Okay, bye.

[HANGS UP]

[AMIN IN DANISH] It took years before
I could visit my siblings in Stockholm.

It was very lonely and frustrating.

The fear of getting caught and

being sent back was so strong...

...that I couldn't tell the truth.
There were lots of consequences:

I couldn't be myself.

It was really painful.

Most people can't even
begin to imagine

how fleeing like that affects you...

what it means for your
relationships with other people...

how much it destroys you...

There were things
I couldn't say about my family,

like that I had siblings in Sweden,
and that my mother was alive,

because it didn't fit
my background story.

There were always constraints.

Things had to be adjusted,
retained, and suppressed.

So, what did you want to talk about?

I'd like some medicine.

Okay, you'll have to see the doctor,
but I can make an appointment.

- What's wrong?
- We spoke about it last time...

the thing about me
being attracted to men.

- Oh... Oh, that, yes.
- I'd like some medicine.

Uh...

What do you mean?

I want to get well.

I don't want to like men.

AMIN: It's not that I
considered it a disease,

but I thought it could be cured...

that it was something
that could be cured.

But she told me that
it wasn't that simple.

Okay, fuck... It's something
that I have to live with:

the fear of being rejected
by your family

for being gay,
because it wasn't acceptable.

Family meant a lot to me then,
since I was all alone in Denmark.

[IN DARI] Little brother,
you're finally here!

[AMIN IN DANISH]
It was the only reference point

in our fucking, crazy lives.

The thought of losing that
was very scary.

[IN DARI] When are you
going to find a girlfriend?

Aren't the girls in Denmark pretty?

Maybe I should come help you out.
I'm sure I could find one for you.

[SISTERS CHUCKLE]

[AMIN IN DANISH]
I didn't dare tell my brother.

I was in Stockholm, and I had no
plans to tell him, but it just happened.

He kept pestering me
about not having a girlfriend.

Finally, I felt so intimidated
that I said:

"I don't have a girlfriend because
I'm not interested in girls that way."

Everyone went completely quiet.

[IN DARI]
Are you sure?

Yes.

Have you ever been with a girl?

Amin, let's go.

Where are we going?

Just come.

["VERIDIS QUO"
BY DAFT PUNK PLAYING]

Come.

- Tell me what's going on.
- You'll see.

Go on. Have fun.

[BEAT DROPS]

There's nothing to worry about.
We always knew.

Thank you.

[IN SWEDISH] Can I help you?
What would you like?

[AMIN IN DANISH]
There I was.

My first time at a gay club,
all by myself...

and I didn't go home...

I always made my career a priority.

When forced to choose between
a guy or a career and an education,

I always chose an education.
Cold and cynical.

[MAN IN ENGLISH] Please welcome
our next speaker: Amin Nawabi.

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

[AMIN IN DANISH] My siblings
sacrificed so much for me.

I had to do well.
I felt I had a huge responsibility.

[APPLAUSE]

It was important to be tough.

Only now, that I'm telling you
about it,

do I start to realize how hard
it's been.

It hurts to think back on it.

Of course.

Being back in the US...

I'm starting to get really tired
of constantly being on the move.

It's good for my career,

but it's not that good for...

It's not that good for you.

It's not that good for me.

The first time I interviewed you
back home, you mentioned

that there were some things
you needed to come to terms with.

You grow up.
You grow up too fast.

When you flee as a child, it...

it takes time to learn

to trust people.

You're constantly on your guard,

all the time...

all the time...

Even when you're in a safe place,

you're on your guard.

I can feel that
something needs to happen.

[GRAVEL CRUNCHING]

Ta-da!

I'm not going to carry you
over the threshold.

- You'd rather carry a cactus instead?
- It's kind of the same.

[LAUGHING]

I'm just going to put this away.

- It's a little...
- Yeah.

Look at the view.
It's stunning.

Every time you look at it,
you're just like, "Wow!"'

The garden is really beautiful
right now.

I wonder if we have enough stuff
to fill the place.

Honey, I think I saw a big
raspberry patch just outside the lot.

- Look! That's all raspberries!
- Wow!

- It's so nice.
- We just need to look after it.

- It's wet here.
- AMIN: You can see it from here.

The view of the house is better here.

["HELP ME"
BY LOW ROAR PLAYING]