The Kite Runner

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[4.0
stars] [IMDb Link]

'Twas multicultural night at Pun Salad Manor, as we watched yet another tale of ordinary people caught up in the maelstrom of Russian imperialism and religious extremism.

It starts in 1979 Afghanistan, just before the Russian invasion, and an unlikely cross-ethnic and cross-class friendship between two young boys: Amir, a privileged son of a rich family, and Hassan, the son of one of their servants. They share a love of kite flying and American movies. (Especially ones with Steve McQueen, and who could blame them?) Hassan is brave, standing up to local threatening bullies; in a moment of shocking cowardice, he's betrayed by Amir. Their friendship is destroyed, and then the Russians invade, and Amir and his father hightail it to America. But years later, revelations about Hassan force an adult Amir to make a tense return to his Taliban-controlled country.

This got a so-so reaction from the critics, but I liked it quite a bit. Yes, it's full of emotional manipulation, cheap symbolism, and one might argue the ending is a bit pat. You know what? I don't care.


Last Modified 2024-02-01 5:20 AM EDT