Kite Runner soars above

By Tooba Ghias, staff writer
Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Khaled Hosseini's Kite Runner makes it to the screen as one of the year's must-see movies. It is based on a dynamic relationship between two friends living in the Afghanistan culture and lifestyle.

The movie is set in 20th-century Afghanistan where two young boys, Amir and Hassan, share a passion for running down kites and a reputation in kite competition in Kabul . After one fateful contest, Hassan is brutally attacked; Amir, too scared to help, watches from a distance and runs away. His guilt and cowardice haunt him throughout his life, as he moves away from Afghanistan to America

For those familiar with the book, there are some differences between the book and the movie. In the movie, Amir presents less insight of his feelings to the audience as opposed to the book, where the reader is constantly aware of his mentality.

Another major mistake in the movie is when Amir goes to Pakistan and he is portrayed as a thirteen year-old. In the book, Amir is forced to go to Pakistan with his father when he is seventeen. There are other minor errors in the movie's plot and parts in which the director exaggerated the action and added the typical Hollywood flair. In the book, it is much simpler and less dramatic.

Apart from these errors, the movie stayed true to the book. The characters spoke in Dari Persian with English subtitles; in the book, they are speaking Dari all the time, except when they come to America . The actors also show the strong friendship between Amir and Hassan well, and how it slowly crumbled after Hassan was raped. The movie's ending is also faithful and as poignant as that of the book.

Score: 9/10
Running Time: 2hrs. 2min.
Genre: Drama and Adaptation
Rated PG-13 for strong thematic material, violence and brief strong language.