‘Kite Flyer’ epic tale of boyhood, terror
“The Kite Flyer” is an epic film about boyhood, friendship and the horrors of war.
It opens almost like “Cinema Paradiso,” with a telephone call from someone in the past, a need to return home after many years and a long flashback to boyhood days.
Khalid Abdalla plays well-to-do Amir as a man, with Zekena Ebrahimi playing him as a boy.
His devoted buddy, Hassan, is played by Ahmad Khan Mahmoodza.
At 128 minutes, the film takes in a lot of material. A big section sets the pace, showing us the two boys growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan, circa 1981.
They participate in the annual kite-flying contest and win. The cinematography is amazing. How do they get those shots of kites flying high over the city.
How do they get those kites to fly that high without having to run and run to get the things aloft?
Amir lives with his father, father’s servant and the servant’s son, who happens to be Hassan. Amir’s mother died in childbirth.
Even as boys, running about the city, they learn about the different ethnic groups and young Hassan is brutally assaulted.
When the Russians take over the city, Amir’s father knows they must flee because he had openly criticized Russians. So they must sneak into Pakistan, leaving behind servant and Hassan.
Another flashback shows the grown Amir living with his formerly wealthy father, Baba (Homayoun Ershadi), in Fremont, Calif. They run a seedy service station and convenience store and sell items at a flea market. It is there he meets his future wife, Soraya Theri (Atossa Leoni.)
Years later, Amir gets a call from the former servant, played by Shaun Toub. Amir must return to troubled Afghanistan, now in the grips of the dreaded Taliban.
Hassan and his wife have been murdered by the Taliban and Amir must return and rescue the couple’s son. The reasons become evident in the film.
Modern Afghanistan is sad and shabby and a true horror. Amir must wear a false beard, as beards are required by the rulers.
A particularly disturbing scene is at a soccer game, where halftime activities include the stoning death of a woman who reportedly wasn’t faithful to her husband.
This is an enthralling, educational film that gives you a focused view on another culture.
The film is spoken in at least four languages, including English. Much of the film is subtitled. The film is banned in Afghanistan.
“Kite Flyer” is based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini, whose own life is similar to the main character.
This is a film that will stay with you. The cinematography is outstanding and all of the actors hold their own. If there’s one movie to check out, this is it.
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Since many of the films I review are more obscure, someone called me recently looking for a particular film. The local video store she visited didn’t have it.
I believe in supporting the local merchants. They are the ones who employ local people, help sponsor local sports team and donate goods for prizes for nonprofit organizations.
But unfortunately, local stores often stock the movies that will readily be rented, whether they are worth watching or not. My main source — and I’m not getting any remuneration for this statement — is Netflix. With the exception of adult entertainment, virtually any film that is on DVD or Blu-Ray is available at Netflix.
So support your local stores when you can, but don’t deprive yourself of some fine, if not real popular, motion-picture entertainment. For those, you may have to look elsewhere, including Netflix if necessary.
Read more Viper reviews at videoviper.blogspot.com.
THE KITE RUNNER
• Directed by Marc Forster, written by David Beinoff and Khaled Hosseini
• Runtime: 128 minutes
• In English, Dari, Pashtu, Urdu and Russian
• Rated PG-13 for strong thematic material including the rape of a child and brief strong language.
• 4 stars out of 5
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