Kahled Hosseini’s best-selling booking, The Kite Runner was adapted to film and now is available in DVD format.
The story is based in Kabul, Afghanistan where Amir is a son in a well-to-do family and Hassan, the son of the familly’s servant and a Hazara. The two boys become friends and pass time “kite fighting”. Amir’s father prefers Hassan because he seems more manly in accordance with Afghan tradition. Amir is more bookish and prefers to write and finds that a close family friend provides the emotional support that a young boy needs.
There is a confrontation between another boy and Amir who threatens Amir because Hassan should not be in Kabul because his “race” is inferior. Seeing that Amir is about to be attacked, Hassan stands up to the offender and staves off the attack by threatening to shoot him in the eye with his slingshot. The boy and his cronies slink off to plot revenge.
Life for the two boys changes dramatically when the Soviets invade Afghanistan and Amir and his father leave for American and leave Hassan & his family behind. The Taliban come into power and life is forever changed.
The subsequent story of what happens between these two boys who become men of different ethnic backgrounds and social strata is a drama of redemption, secrets being revealed and love lost and found as the formerly rich boy now a man returns to his homeland to find out what happened to his childhood friend and what has happened to his country.
Amir & the nephew.
The movie is slow– too slow and the dramatic pitch between the two boys is overshadowed by the Soviet invasion and then the rise of the Taliban and horrific deeds committed against the Afghan people.
There is mixed critical and consumer reviews. This was released at holidays 2007 which was probably not the best time to release a film with such devastating and dramatic content. It’s harsh revelations about the Soviets and the Taliban would leave views cold during the holidays. Critics were a bit more forgiving and understood the nature of the movies’ delayed release. The director and producers seemed to have forgotten about how to create a dynamic theme that seems to be consistent throughout the film and carry the two boys forward through their lives while allowing for historical facts to move it forward and propel the ending of the movie in such a way that allows for a conclusion that shows serious and credible evolution in the characters.
If you are interested in seeing this film and realizing what the impact the invasion and the rise of the Taliban had on Afghanistan and even Pakistan, rent the film. As for the drama between the boys and the men they become, it’s a bit too melodramatic, in my humble opinion.
The book is far better at what went on and there is much that is left out of the movie deliberately because of the Taliban still being in power. Reportedly, the boys who appeared in this film and their families had to leave the country to ensure their safety.
Find this movie on Amazon.com where you can also watch a video of the author of The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
Stevie Wilson
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