Movie Review: The Kite Runner

The following movie review is from /Film correspondent Elaine Mak.

The Kite Runner, directed by Marc Forster, follows the story of two childhood friends, Amir and Hassan, as they are torn apart after Amir witnesses the rape of Hassan. This film, based on the best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini, begins in Kabul, Afghanistan, with the country on the verge of war. Following the rape incident, upper-class Amir leaves for America with his father, while lower-class Hassan remains in Kabul. Decades later, Amir is persuaded to return to Afghanistan during the Taliban rule to face his past.

I hadn't read the book before I saw the film, so going into it, I had no idea what to expect. This might not have been an issue for someone who knew the story going in, but my first impression of the film was that it was very difficult telling young Amir from Hassan, because both looked very similar to me. The acting in the film is weak, especially from the child actors, but the adult actors do come across a bit stronger. The story starts off a little slow and picks up after the pivotal kite-fighting scene.

Towards the end of the film, I felt as if there was too much material crammed into one movie, and each scene felt like it was rushing to get to the next one. In addition, the individual scenes don't seem to fit together very well, and it feels as if each piece could have been better as its own story. My biggest problem with this film is that it reveals too much information, treating the viewer as if he isn't capable of making sense of exposition on his own. On a good note, I did find it very interesting to witness a piece of Afghan culture though the film.

Overall, I found The Kite Runner to be an interesting concept with a poorly adapted screenplay and a weakly directed film.

/Film Rating: 4/10