Film: The Kite Runner (2007)

[SA]

The Kite Runner (2007)

http://www.kiterunnermovie.com/


I mentioned this film in the megathread a little while ago. After watching it, I just had to read the book. Having just finished the book, I feel more than ever that this film deserves its own thread.

Based on the book by the same name by Khaled Hosseini, the title refers to the traditional past time and (annual?) contest of kite flying in Afghanistan, primarily by kids. Two of these kids are best mates Amir and Hassan. The former is the son of a privileged family, the latter the son of one of the servants. The two are inseverable as brothers until they are separated both by an event between them and by an event in the history of their country (Russian invasion).

Amazon book review follows:

The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")

Some of the plot's turns and twists may be somewhat implausible, but Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America's collective consciousness ("people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz"), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon. - amazon

possible spoiler:

NSFW:

A couple of ironic parts in the film, one (which would not be readily recognised by most viewers) during Amir's birthday. The music played by the live band is a well known Russian tune (melodia bim-bom). The irony lies in the fact that Amir's father is an ardent anti communist.

Don't expect a Hollywood blockbuster. Go in expecting "International Film Festival" material and you won't be disappointed.

 

[alasdairm]

rate this movie

alasdair

 

[SA]

Thanks for the swift poll, alasdairm.

There a few discrepancies between the print version and the film, but nothing major. I gave it four stars.

 

[L2R]

the trailer looks great

 

[fengtau]

This movie is awesome. It also brings back a lot of memories. I cried a little when I watch the kids fight it out with their kites.

I remember doing that as a kid. Going to the shop with my dad and pick out a kite. I even have an assistant who would control the strings for me. We'd go hunt for broken light bulbs, crush them and cook them in glue. Once ready, we'd apply them to the string.

Then during kite day, there'll be at least dozens of kites in the air and we fight it off. When a kite is down, everyone would be running towards it to grab it. Awesome!

Unfortunately, kite flying/fighting is a lost art now Kids these days with their playstations!