home | downloads | scene listings | non-scene listings | links | advertising details | contact us |
Click here for the graphic version of this page
You can be sure that The Kite Runner will definitely be showing in Afghan cinemas. It’s distinctly critical of the Taliban’s religious puritanism and enthusiasm for strict Sharia law. But the episode in which a young boy is brutally raped by a neighbourhood bully -who in adult life continues to practise such abuse, whilst being a fully paid up member of the Taliban - is the main reason for its non-showing in Kabul. The actor playing the part of the victim has been taken from his homeland to live in America, to avoid the possibility of fundamentalist revenge on him and his family.
However, The Kite Runner is not just a tirade against Islamic beliefs in the light of 7/11. It is in fact a subtle, lyrical film which looks at the nature of friendship and the tragic betrayal of that friendship. It is partly a documentary portrayal of middle-class life in the Afghan capital covering the period of the Russian invasion and the returning dominance of the Taliban. It is a story of growing up and shifting family fortunes, alternating between Afghanistan and California. The film is based on the first novel by Khaled Hosseini, although the book is a darker, more tragic account.
The plot focuses on 12 year-old Amir and his friendship with Hassan, the son of his father’s servant. The boys are skilled kite flyers and enjoy the hunt for those kites that drop from the skies, their lines cut by others. They enjoy sharing the telling of traditional stories. Hassan protects the gentler Amir from street and school bullies. The first tragic moment comes when Hassan is cornered by Assef, an admirer of Hitler, and brutally raped for being both lower caste and too successful in running to pick up defeated kites. Amir secretly witnessed this abuse but cannot bring himself to intervene or report the crime. The friendship starts to crumble. Amir plant a watch under Hassan’s pillow and accuses him of theft. Hassan and his father leave the house and the boys never see each other again. Amir and his bourgeois, communist inclined father then escape from Kabul as the Russian tanks roll in. They start a new life in America in more humble surroundings.
One day, Amir gets a phone call from Hassan’s father asking him to return home to Afghanistan. He is told that Hassan, who was caretaking Amir’s family home, is shot as a collaborator, in the street, by a passing Taliban patrol. Hassan’s son is taken to an orphanage where he is picked up and taken away to serve Assef as a sex slave. Amir is now informed that Hassan was in fact his brother, his father having slept with Hassan’s mother. Amir resolves to rescue his nephew.
The film shows the innocence of boyhood friendship and adventures. The twofold betrayal of Hassan is never really explained - perhaps it is just a tragic flaw in Amir’s character. There is an element of social and intellectual snobbery in his attitude towards Hassan. The determination of Afghan asylum seekers to create a new life in America is emphasised. Amir and his father survive and Amir marries an ex-general’s daughter, also down on his luck. The Taliban are shown as cultural philistines who destroy people and buildings in a reign of terror. Assef’s homosexuality is not hidden but no one is in a position to punish him for going against Islamic teachings. The rape scene is handled sensitively. It doesn’t need anything more graphic that the sight of a belt being unbuckled and drops of blood falling from Hassan’s trousers as he hobbles home.
The kite flying scenes are visually stunning against the backcloth of clear blue sky, and Kabul’s mountains and rooftops. Friendship ought to be enjoyable. Our anger is directed against the excesses of the Taliban and the destruction of everyday life. We can be grateful that we are far removed from this dangerous hot spot where death is always possible down the street. The beard and veil police are vigilant in making arrests. There is some relief in the happy ending where even in these cynical times, the American dream is still a powerful reality for would-be immigrants
Kite flying can be fun - why not try it!
Nick Tyldesley
Stories from the magazine this month:
Related pages:
Click here for the graphic version of this page
home | downloads | scene listings | non-scene listings | links | advertising details | contact us |
visitors since 1 Aug 03