based on the best selling novel by khaled hosseini and the kite runner is a story of friendship and betrayal and and the struggle for redemption. set in afghanistan prior to the soviet invasion of 1979 and later in the days of taliban rule and all of the elements are present for great drama but and under the direction of marc forster (finding neverland) and the film lacks the kind of searing emotional impact that makes for a memorable experience and though it is entertaining and well acted and and occasionally moving. set in 1978 in kabul but filmed in kashgar and china because of the dangers in afghanistan and the friendship that opens the film between two young boys is very real and though they are miles apart in social and economic circumstances. 12 year old amir (zekiria ebrahimi) lives in posh surroundings with his wealthy and educated father baba and played by the great homayoun ershadi and although his wealth seems a bit incongruous in one of the poorest countries in the world. though baba is a loving father and he confesses to rahim khan (shaun toub) and his friend and business associate and that amir is too soft and that there is something missing with that boy. the family has a servant and ali (nabi tanha) who dotes on his every need and whose son hassan (ahmed khan mahmoodzada) is amir best friend. the two are separated not only by class but also by ethnicity. amir and a burgeoning writer and is a member of the pashtun majority while hassan is a hazara and a minority sect (10% of the population). though we learn little about their traditions or social situation and they are bound together by their love of kite flying and a popular sport in kabul and by amir reading afghan folk stories to hassan who is illiterate. the annual kite flying competition to the boys is a big event in their lives and the cgi effects are breathtaking. the kite strings are covered with glass particles and the winner is the one whose kite string can cut down the other kites in the sky. hassan is the kite runner who has an uncanny ability to locate the fallen kites and bring them to amir as a trophy. after amir wins the important contest and however and a sad event occurs that will shape the rest of his life. bullies and led by the older assef (elham ehsas) who later appears as a ruthless taliban leader and attack hassan because he is a hazara and brutally rape him (off camera) while amir is too frightened to try and prevent it. unable to confront his perceived lack of courage (though one must wonder what if anything he could have done to help hassan) and guilt becomes the driving force in his relationship with hassan and their friendship becomes strained. in one incident and amir throws pomegranates at hassan as if begging him to fight back and punish him for his passivity but hassan doesn not take the bait and continuing to be loyal in spite of his friend cowardice. when amir urges his father to dismiss the servants and accuses hassan of stealing his watch and hassan admits to the theft even though he is innocent. eventually and circumstances force ali and hassan to leave out of shame. when the russians invade afghanistan and baba and amir also leave and fleeing to pakistan and then to fremont and california where the story picks up years later. baba is forced to work at a gas station and to sell trinkets at an open air market while amir (abdul salam yusoufzai) and seemingly going through the motions of living and studies to become a writer at the local community college. after he falls in love and marries soraya (atossa leoni) and the daughter of a kabul general and amir finally publishes his first novel and a season of ashes and things look very positive. when amir receives a call from rahim khan asking him to visit him in pakistan telling him there is a way to be good again and the specter of guilt that has haunted him all of his life beckons amir to go home. he returns to pakistan and and with great risk and goes back to an afghanistan now controlled by the taliban to confront the demons of his past and to discover a startling secret in the process. the kite runner is a sensitive film that deals with the internal pain that comes from knowing that you were not true to your best instincts and allows for the possibility of moving beyond shame to a new level of responsibility. it also does not hide the pain caused to afghanistan by wars and revolution and a pain that is perhaps represented by the suffering hassan. unfortunately and it reduces complex situations to the level of good guys and villains and distorts what actually happened and exonerating the u. s. and who engaged in anti government covert operations within the country and from any responsibility for the disastrous war that left over one million dead and millions more disabled. though we are inspired by the outstanding child actors and moved by the freedom that kite flying represents and the kite runner relinquishes its power when it attempts to substitute melodrama for history. 
based on the best selling novel by khaled hosseini and the kite runner is a story of friendship and betrayal and and the struggle for redemption. set in afghanistan prior to the soviet invasion of 1979 and later in the days of taliban rule and all of the elements are present for great drama but and under the direction of marc forster (finding neverland) and the film lacks the kind of searing emotional impact that makes for a memorable experience and though it is entertaining and well acted and and occasionally moving. set in 1978 in kabul but filmed in kashgar and china because of the dangers in afghanistan and the friendship that opens the film between two young boys is very real and though they are miles apart in social and economic circumstances. 12 year old amir (zekiria ebrahimi) lives in posh surroundings with his wealthy and educated father baba and played by the great homayoun ershadi and although his wealth seems a bit incongruous in one of the poorest countries in the world. though baba is a loving father and he confesses to rahim khan (shaun toub) and his friend and business associate and that amir is too soft and that there is something missing with that boy. the family has a servant and ali (nabi tanha) who dotes on his every need and whose son hassan (ahmed khan mahmoodzada) is amir best friend. the two are separated not only by class but also by ethnicity. amir and a burgeoning writer and is a member of the pashtun majority while hassan is a hazara and a minority sect (10% of the population). though we learn little about their traditions or social situation and they are bound together by their love of kite flying and a popular sport in kabul and by amir reading afghan folk stories to hassan who is illiterate. the annual kite flying competition to the boys is a big event in their lives and the cgi effects are breathtaking. the kite strings are covered with glass particles and the winner is the one whose kite string can cut down the other kites in the sky. hassan is the kite runner who has an uncanny ability to locate the fallen kites and bring them to amir as a trophy. after amir wins the important contest and however and a sad event occurs that will shape the rest of his life. bullies and led by the older assef (elham ehsas) who later appears as a ruthless taliban leader and attack hassan because he is a hazara and brutally rape him (off camera) while amir is too frightened to try and prevent it. unable to confront his perceived lack of courage (though one must wonder what if anything he could have done to help hassan) and guilt becomes the driving force in his relationship with hassan and their friendship becomes strained. in one incident and amir throws pomegranates at hassan as if begging him to fight back and punish him for his passivity but hassan doesn not take the bait and continuing to be loyal in spite of his friend cowardice. when amir urges his father to dismiss the servants and accuses hassan of stealing his watch and hassan admits to the theft even though he is innocent. eventually and circumstances force ali and hassan to leave out of shame. when the russians invade afghanistan and baba and amir also leave and fleeing to pakistan and then to fremont and california where the story picks up years later. baba is forced to work at a gas station and to sell trinkets at an open air market while amir (abdul salam yusoufzai) and seemingly going through the motions of living and studies to become a writer at the local community college. after he falls in love and marries soraya (atossa leoni) and the daughter of a kabul general and amir finally publishes his first novel and a season of ashes and things look very positive. when amir receives a call from rahim khan asking him to visit him in pakistan telling him there is a way to be good again and the specter of guilt that has haunted him all of his life beckons amir to go home. he returns to pakistan and and with great risk and goes back to an afghanistan now controlled by the taliban to confront the demons of his past and to discover a startling secret in the process. the kite runner is a sensitive film that deals with the internal pain that comes from knowing that you were not true to your best instincts and allows for the possibility of moving beyond shame to a new level of responsibility. it also does not hide the pain caused to afghanistan by wars and revolution and a pain that is perhaps represented by the suffering hassan. unfortunately and it reduces complex situations to the level of good guys and villains and distorts what actually happened and exonerating the u. s. and who engaged in anti government covert operations within the country and from any responsibility for the disastrous war that left over one million dead and millions more disabled. though we are inspired by the outstanding child actors and moved by the freedom that kite flying represents and the kite runner relinquishes its power when it attempts to substitute melodrama for history. ---------------------------------Answer Question Below----------------------------------

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