The Kite Runner
DIR: Marc Foster • WRI: David Benioff • PROD: E. Bennett Walsh, Rebecca Yeldham, William Horberg. • DOP: Roberto Schaefer • ED: Matt Chesse • DES: Carlos Conti • CAST: Khalid Abdalla, Homayoun Ershadi, Said Taghmaoui, Shaun Toub, Atossa Leoni, Zekeria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada

The Kite Runner contains a scene where a young boy is brutally raped. It is handled very tastefully by director Marc Foster. It isn’t excessive but it still implies the absolute horror of the situation. The actor concerned and his family are complaining about the scene and its inclusion in the film as they feel he will be victimized in Afghanistan when the film is released there. Marc Foster has said that both the actor and his family were well aware of the scene and the fact that it had to feature in the final cut, as it is essential to the story’s progression.

The above had been mentioned in every review of this film so far, and now that it’s out of the way, the film proper can be talked about.

The Kite Runner concerns the return of Amir (Abdalla) to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan after having left with his father when the country was invaded by Communists after the fall of the Afghan monarchy. He has been summoned by his father’s old friend Rahim Khan (Shaun Toub) to help the son of his former friend and servant, Hassan (played in flashbacks by Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada).  

The film is an incredibly faithful adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s source novel. The problem with this is that some of the tonal problems and overly-convenient plot occurrences in the book are brought forward as well. That may sound crass, especially as much of the book is based on Hosseini’s own experience, but the point remains. The Taliban are a devoutly religious fundamentalist group, who enforce a brutal fascist regime. This is fairly common knowledge. It is questionable whether or not it is necessary to show a public stoning to emphasise this fact, or if it is just in fact gratuitous. Also, many of the plot points, especially those involved in Amir’s return to Afghanistan, stretch credibility to breaking point.

Script issues aside, this is still a very well made film. The cinematography is breathtaking; particularly those shots of kite flying that dominate the film’s opening third. Its themes of loyalty, identity and redemption are clearly defined without being hammered into the ground. The plot moves along at a pace respectful to its subject matter without being languid. The depiction of pre-Communist era Afghanistan is one that will be alien to many in the West, as the country’s beauty had not yet been tainted by the Communists, or wiped out altogether by the Taliban. The contrast between the country Amir leaves and the one he returns to is horrifying; images of burnt out buildings and starving orphans juxtaposing strongly beauty of the earlier scenes with Amir and Hassan reveling in the excitement of a kite fighting competition.

However, the film’s trump cards are its performances. Abdalla excels as the adult Amir, a man terrified of his past yet unable to confront it. Zekeria Ebrahimi makes the young Amir a wholly sympathetic individual, when he could easily have come across as merely a coward. He bestows upon Amir a sensitivity far beyond his years and makes his failings seem completely human. Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada is incredible as Hassan. He portrays the loyalty and devotion of true friendship perfectly, making what could have been a completely unbelievable character heartbreaking. But the best performance here is that of Homayoun Ershadi as Amir’s father, Baba. His integrity and self-belief anchor the film when it runs the risk of flying off the handle. He leads Amir from the dangers of Afghanistan under the Communists, and it is his influence that leads Amir back, Amir knowing that helping Sohrab (Hassan’s son) is something that he just has to do.

Let down as it is by the script, The Kite Runner is prevented from being the film it could have been, but it is still a moving depiction of a man’s redemption, and several fantastic performances bring it well above the curve.

Rory Bonass
(Read biog here)

Rated 15A (see IFCO website for details)
The Kite Runner is released on 13th December 2007
The Kite Runner – Official website