At the heart of the story is Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi), a young Afghan boy who lives a life of privilege in the years leading up to the Soviet invasion of the country. Amir's best friend is Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada), who is the son of the family's servant. Although the two are best of friends, their friendship is a bit of an oddity; not only are the two from different social classes, but Hassan is a Hazara, which is considered an "inferior race". One of their most vocal foes is another Afghan boy named Assef, who tries to attack the two, only to be chased off by Hassan.
One of the duo's favorite hobbies is a sport called kite battling, which is a popular pastime in their hometown. Hassan is a "kite runner" for Amir and has an uncanny ability to tell exactly where the kite will fall before anyone else. One day, after Amir wins a battle, Hassan chases after the kite only to be cornered by Assef and his friends. Amir chases after Hassan and arrives just in time to see the bullies beat and rape him. Although Amir knows he should rescue his friend, he is a coward and retreats from the scene. Amir is haunted by guilt after witnessing the attack and begins to distance himself from Hassan. Even after Hassan tries to repair their friendship, Amir accuses Hassan of stealing his watch and Hassan and his father leave.
Shortly after, the Soviets attack Afghanistan and Amir and his father flee to America. The second half of the story finds an older Amir (Khalid Abdalla) returning to Afghanistan in order to make things right between he and Hassan. It is also the part of the story with the most number of twists and where the story's message of courage and redemption finally takes hold.
Nearly everything about The Kite Runner works. The story is layered enough that it keeps you interested while never becoming too twisted up or bogged down. Although the first half of the movie is a bit slow and uncomfortable at times, the ending payoff is worth the time. The characterization of Amir is particularly impressive; even though you want to have sympathy for him throughout the movie, he isn't the most likeable of characters; but when he hits his turning point, you'll find yourself cheering him on. The film also does a good job at highlighting the racial tensions and issues surrounding a country a majority of us have only seen on TV or read about in the newspaper.
The DVD comes packed with a few extras, including commentary by director Marc Forster, writer David Benioff and author Khaled Hosseini and a special Behind-the-Scenes feature. Although the extras aren't the most interesting of features, the movie's quality more than makes up for it.
