Kite Runner

Critics and readers alike consider Khalid Hosseini's novel of two boys growing up in Afghanistan one of the most powerful and earnest stories of 2003. Understandably, admirers are wary of the nuanced novel's translation into film. Save its few flaws, The Kite Runner, directed by Marc Forster and adapted by David Benioff, beautifully captures the poignancy of the story.

In San Francisco in the year 2000, Amir (Khalid Abdalla) receives a phone call that sends him back to his home country of Afghanistan, now controlled by the Taliban. Present-day Kabul is much different from the city of Amir's childhood. When he was 12, young Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi) spent his days with best friend and servant Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada)-reading stories, watching Steve McQueen movies and, as the title suggests, flying kites.

However, Amir and Hassan's relationship deteriorates after a devastating turn of events, beginning when Amir stumbles upon Hassan being raped by a local bully and flees in cowardice. After the event, neither child can regain his innocence, and because of Amir's immaturity, the two are driven apart. Forster chronicles the boys' relationship with incredible maturity, effortlessly transitioning from light-hearted comedy to dark drama.

The film offers many lessons, but none are force-fed. Amir's father (Homayon Ershadi) and his close friend Rahim Kahn (Shaun Toub) offer Amir support through encouraging strong morals. Ershadi gives an affecting performance, expressing a heart-breaking weariness as his character transitions from affluent Kabul businessman to Californian gas attendant. The America Amir and his father inhabit is safe but not satisfying; it is obvious that Afghanistan lingers in their minds.

The Afghanistan of the past is vividly recreated through set design and costume, but the script truncates the racial and political detail of the book. Nonetheless, Benioff manages to flesh out the heart of the story-the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Additionally, Mahmidzada and Ebrahimi give moving debut performances.

Although the end leans toward melodrama, The Kite Runner captivates and charms even in its quietest moments.

-Charlie McSpadden