Saturday June 7        The Kite Runner  12a cert    128 mins

USA, 2007Directed by Marc Forster, Starring Zekeria Ebrahimi, Khalid Abdalla, Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada, Homayoun Ershadi, Abdul Salam Yusoufzai

A screen adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's bestselling novel, The Kite Runner tells the story of two boyhood friends, of different caste, but brothers in spirit.

Growing up in 70s Kabul, Amir is the son of a wealthy businessman; Hassan the servant boy taken in by the family, who is victimised because of his race – his is a minority Sh’ia muslim - and his caste. Hassan is a useful ally to Amir, but Amir fails to stand up for his friend, ultimately witnessing Hassan being savagely attacked. In later life, the aspirant writer Amir – now residing in the US – is troubled by chronic guilt and shame over the events of his childhood, and seeks to atone. He learns of Hassan’s whereabouts, and resolves to visit him in his by now volatile Taliban-controlled home.

The themes of guilt, displacement, honour and conflicting traditions, are set against the backdrop of the turbulent recent past of Afganistan - the fall of the monarchy, the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees and the rise of the Taliban.

Ultimately though, this is a powerfully affecting story of moral courage with a belief in the power of redemption, even in spite of terrible atrocity.

Back to Index