In Kabul, 1976, Amir, a privileged Pushtun boy, and Hassan, a Hazara servant's son, are constant companions. They live and play together, enjoying a peaceful existence prior to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Amir is an avid storyteller and Hassan, having never learned to read or write, always enjoys listening to his friend's stories. One day, while running down a kite for Amir, Hassan is assaulted by a group of bullies. Amir witnesses this act, but is unable to bring himself to help his friend. This failure weighs heavy on the youngster and his self-loathing leads to attempts to discredit and isolate Hassan, eventually driving Hassan and his father from the employ of Amir's father.
Amir and his father are forced to flee the country during the Soviet invasion, eventually ending up in the United States. Amir goes on to graduate from college and write a book. A phone call from his father's dear friend in Pakistan forces Amir to return to the country of his birth. There he is forced to face the sins of his past, find a courage he did not know he possessed and face down an old rival. In doing all of this, he manages to find a measure of atonement.
Directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball), the story of The Kite Runner is beautifully acted and skillfully presented to the viewer. It is far too easy to quickly loathe Amir's character, yet, upon reflection, I found that the loathing is likely due to a realization that I may not have handled the situation much better had I been the one subjected to the events at hand. The flaws demonstrated by Amir are all-too human, which is what makes them so profound, especially considering that they carry across sociological boundaries, without concern for the borders or divisions artificially separating mankind. The landscapes featured in the movie, though mostly filmed in Western China, do a fantastic job of illustrating an Afghanistan largely unfamiliar to western audiences. The use of the landscape, along with the well-rendered kite scenes, demonstrate a wonderful sense of cinematography. Equally interesting to me was the small glimpse of the private society of the Afghan, Pakistan and Iranian peoples existing in the United States.
Due to the graphic nature of a few of the scenes, the PG-13 rating is well-justified. While The Kite Runner can quite easily stand on the merits of the story alone, add to it the potent view of a country and people so central to current military and political agendas on a global scale and you have a movie that I highly recommend to mature viewers.
