"The Kite Runner" (2007) - Movie Review

I liked the novel “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini half good. The first half of the novel had the tangle of a child caught in the realm of begging to be recognized by his dad and also the inability to stand up for his friend or may be he does not think him as a friend at all. The second half became a typical run of the Hollywood material only the setting is Afghanistan. So when I heard that the novel was to be made as a film, it was not a surprise. The film left the same feeling as the book did each having its reasons. With a track record of “Monster’s Ball”, “Finding Neverland” and the successful “Stranger than Fiction” (which I have not seen), Marc Forster does the job what he was supposed to, be loyal to the book and satisfy the millions of readers.

Amir (Khalid Abdalla) a novelist gets a call from Pakistan to come back to his home for reasons later said. Amir dips into the memory lane as a kid in his home Kabul, Afghanistan. There along with his servant Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada) he spends his time flying kites and Hassan faithfully running the kites. The scenes involving the kites are highly nerve biting and entertaining, even for a reader who already knows the results of it. Forster adapts almost everything page by page only for certain scenes. Of course we do not get an in depth analysis of Young Amir’s (Zekeria Ebrahimi) feelings towards his Baba (Homayoun Ershadi).

Rarely have I watched a film after reading the novel. “Sphere” was a disaster and I was a hardcore Michael Crichton fan at that point of time and worshipped “Sphere”, what I can tell you, I was one in many zillions who was enthralled by Science fiction (but I sucked in Physics). Here I knew everything and it did not become a hindrance. I believe Forster would have thought about it too, as every one in this planet would have read it. Still it is a treat to watch the images put on to the screen. The streets especially and the whole Afghan tradition is something to be seen for sure. But the first kite running scene when the cherubic Hassan runs to the place where he exactly knows it is going to land, is when I decided I am going to like this film. From there on it played really well till the same part the novel lost my interest. The rescue mission out here is even more mechanical than the novel. That does not stop it to be not riveting. Both the novel and the film never dare to analyze the feelings of the adult Amir. He is so hurried up in the act of saving, we rarely see him speak his feelings.

With that said, people who liked the novel would love the film. It is shot and to the point as the film squeezes in the book to a two hour picture. The music especially assists very well at various moments. I would have loved to see the interaction between Farid (Saïd Taghmaoui) and Amir who takes him to the Kabul which is lost. The screenplay by David Benioff who wrote “25th Hour” novel and the screenplay for the movie are good at laying it as the viewers would expect it too.

I was worried before the film as with any movie which involves a child in the midst of rape scene bothers me. As I have always said about something in the book and some one else to enact is not justifiable to put through the terrific trauma of it. Thankfully it is not graphical and they keep it neat. I hope the child Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada did not have to go through it but Wiki informs me that it did affect him, in the sense of social acceptance after some one watching the film. The children were transferred to UAE and were compensated for their living expense till they reach adulthood.

“The Kite Runner” is a satisfactory work of Forster in conveying the book as it is. Roger Ebert says it is the same impressive work as that of “Monster’s Ball” which I would not agree respectfully. The emotions are quite high in both the tales but “Monster’s Ball” had the audacity to explore certain areas with much confidence while out here it is conveniently brushed away, but the novel as such had those.