The Kite Runner

Based on a book by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner follows the life of Amir, a young Afghan who flees the country at the beginning of the Russian invasion in 1979. The story falls into two parts. The first shows Amir growing up as a young boy in Kabul in 1978. The second part shows Amir returning to the Mid East at the request of an old family friend. The first part focuses mainly on a unique game played by Afghan children which involves some form of kite fighting. Those who reclaim kites whose strings have been cut are the titular kite runners. It also deals with the friendship between Amir and his best friend Hassan.

There are some very beautiful shots of flying kites in the early part of the film. And the look of a pre-war/pre soviet Kabul is quite striking and beautiful. Amir witnesses a horrific act against his friend and their friendship becomes strained before being ended shortly before Amir and his father flee Afghanistan. As an adult Amir has become a writer and receives a phone call after his first book is published. A friend of his father requests his presence in Pakistan. Amir learns an important fact about his childhood that changes his outlook and seeks to find a way to atone for his actions as a child.

In general it makes for an interesting story. Although a bit is left unexplained regarding the kite fights which probably received more detailed treatment in the novel. The two young actors who play the young Amir and Hassan are very good playing two very different characters. One the son of a respected business man but with no fighting spirit as it were in his heart. The other the son of a discriminated against subclass who is utterly loyal to Amir and willing to fend off threats from him.

This relationship is so well established that it is quite painful to see it collapse. Amir's journey to make up for his early mistakes takes us into the heart of Taliban controlled Afghanistan prior to 9/11. There are horrendous depictions including the stoning of an adulterer and the contrast between the Kabul that Amir returns to and the Kabul he left 20 years earlier are striking.

In many ways I kept thinking of Atonement while watching this movie and when thinking about it afterwards. Both deal with acts of rape witnessed as children and responses that cause pain and tragedy for those involved. But this film worked better on that theme and didn't jump between several characters either. Amir's atonement may be a bit neater and in truer Hollywood fashion than Briony's in Atonement but it doesn't detract that much from the overall tone and interest of the story.

It isn't really a great film but it has some beautiful cinematography, a capable narrative and gives a picture into a culture and area of the world one rarely gets a glimpse of. I think its worth seeing for those reasons.