'The Kite Runner' flies high with emotion
By Julie Feinerman, Staff Writer
February 15, 2008 | 6 a.m.
Directed by Oscar-nominated Marc Forster (“Finding Neverland”), the movie is set in San Francisco during the year 2000. A phone call from Rahim Khan, (Shaun Toub) an old friend of Amir’s father, convinces Amir (Khalid Abdalla) to go home to his native Afghanistan, providing him with a chance for redemption and sense of contentment.
Amir is first and foremost a storyteller. As a young boy he loved to create tales and share them with his best friend, Hassan. Although he had a strong creative mind, Amir lacked physical strength and relied upon Hassan to fight his battles. In the beginning of the movie, we see Amir as a grown man and published author, but at heart he remains a scared little boy longing for protection. It isn't until the movie progresses that we see him transition into a man more like Hassan. However, in order for Amir to grow as a man, he is forced to look back to his childhood.
The story revolves around Amir’s flashbacks of his overprotected childhood, his friendship and betrayal with his loyal servant Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada), the kites they flew and the brutal realities of Taliban control. In their film debut, Mahmidzada (young Hassan) and Zekeria Ebrahimi (young Amir) give heartfelt performances, showing that even getting stabbed in the back by your best friend and condemning him to an agonizing life cannot falter a friendship such as theirs.
Although the movie does have its intense moments (a boy being raped, a couple stoned to death, a man shown hung over a street corner), we do see playful and endearing scenes between father and son, and two best friends during kite flying and even death. Only during their kite flying do we see them truly content and happy with their lives and ignorant of the world falling down around them. Watching these two young boys on-screen with their big, brown eyes and innocent expressions, only longing for a sense of approval, one cannot help to forgive and forget their mistakes, but both of them are drowning in lies, denial and shame.
The movie progresses with Amir’s flashback to 1978 in his hometown of Kabul, Afghanistan. He accounts how his father, Baba (Homayoun Ershadi), sometimes coldheartedly neglected him for not standing up for himself like Hassan did. This is where an “anything you can do I can do better” condition begins for Amir and eventually leads to his treachery and a life of regret.
In 1979 the Soviet Invasion forces Amir and his father to retreat to America, leaving Hassan behind to face the Russians and the dangers of the Taliban. Even a distance as long as this could not stop Amir from thinking about his endangered friend and their happy pastimes. Amir recounts all the times Hassan defended him, even if it had cost pints of his own blood, and the strong team they made in the kite-flying competition where they came out victorious.
Forster deserves credit for his kite-flying competition scenes. Although very drawn out at times, the length only made the scene more amusing and dramatic. Aerial shots of the competing kites sparked comparisons to battle scenes as lighthearted as Vince Vaughn versus Ben Stiller in “Dodgeball” and as intense as Darth Vader versus Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars.” Of course, it seems a bit drastic to be comparing Luke Skywalker to a kite, but the scene was certainly captivating.
As the movie progresses into present time with an older Amir back in Afghanistan, viewers see him change from the defenseless boy he once was into a man fighting and fearing not only for himself but also for the most precious thing for which he is searching.
With emotions ranging across the scale, the film elicits both happiness and anger. “The Kite Runner” is an emotional roller coaster. Feelings of “The Kite Runner” can be compared easily with another movie of Forster’s, “Finding Neverland.” Shedding tears while flipping off the movie screen may be a common reaction. Its ending is especially surprising. It may not be a desirable conclusion, but the movie should leave viewers satisfied.
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“The Kite Runner”
Speakeasy rating: B+
Running time: 2 hours, 7 minutes
MPAA rating: Rated PG-13 for strong thematic material, including the rape of a child, violence and brief strong language
Genre: Drama