The Kite Runner

I'm man enough to admit Khaled Hosseini's debut novel, The Kite Runner, made me misty-eyed. The powerful story of betrayal and redemption, along with the brutal depiction of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, touched my heart deeply, as it did with millions of other readers. So when the movie adaptation came out, my hopes were high that this would be the best movie of the year, and that it would capture all the excitement and emotions that made the book such a success.

Clichéd as it may sound, the book was better.

That's not to say that The Kite Runner is the worst movie ever, or even the worst movie based on a book (that honor goes to Less Than Zero). The plot doesn't stray too far from the original novel. In 1970s Afghanistan, Amir grows up in a privileged household while Hassan, a Hazara, is the son of Amir's father's servant. Despite their differences, the two boys are the best of friends until one fateful day Amir sees the neighborhood bully Assef brutally assault Hassan and does nothing to stop it. This event haunts Amir for years until, when he is an adult, he learns he must rescue Hassan's son, Sohrab, from the Taliban and bring him to America.

The film manages to keep the surprise and suspense that made the book so powerful. It's heartbreaking to see amputee Afghani children, and although it's not graphic, the rape scene is still shocking. But Hosseini's novel takes the time to describe the stark contrast between the Afghanistan of old and the Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban; Marc Forster's direction, on the other hand, breezes right through it. When the adult Amir says, "I feel like a tourist in my own country," you never fully grasp what he means. In fact, the overall film feels too rushed for anything to register.

The film also takes out major themes from the original book, which will no doubt displease fans of the novel. For starters, the film only hints at Afghanistan's history. I knew nothing of the country prior to reading the book, so I was amazed to learn that the Taliban were once highly praised after they drove out the Russians from Afghanistan. Also, the book describes the racism many Hazaras face. The movie only hints at these two issues, never giving a full explanation. While too much history can bog down the movie, a little background wouldn't have hurt.

Another major part of the book that is not in the movie is the tension between adult Amir and Sohrab. In the book, the two face many obstacles including immigration policies and a near-fatal tragedy. Yet, the movie wraps up everything neatly in just 20 minutes like a television show.

The Kite Runner is an emotionally gripping film, but lacks the depth to fully relate the story and characters. One needs to read the book to understand what's going on--or better yet, just read the book, period.