It tells the story of two boys - one from a prominent and wealthy family and the other their servant - growing up together in pre-Taliban Afghanistan. Seems like something you might not want to see? Give it a chance. I read this book last year and couldn't take my eyes away from it. It was engaging, honest, sad, and most of all - interesting - and I loved it!
The two boys, shy, bookish Amir and happy, spirited Hassan, have become as close as brothers over the years. The movie and book's title comes from an annual tournament of kite flying, which both boys (and apparently pretty much everyone else in Kabul) have a passion for. The trick is to manuveur the strings to cut the other competitors kite strings, therefore gaining respect and notoriety within the town.
Amir and Hassan, as a team, have just won the contest and Hassan goes to 'run' down the kite. Unfortunately, Hassan runs into a gang of neighborhood bullies who proceed to cause him harm - I won't say how - and Amir, who was lagging behind in the chase, comes upon the act of violence but does nothing, preferring to hide in the shadows and then run away. Hassan does not notice that his friend has seen this incident.
In shame and regret, Amir takes it upon himself to find a way to get Hassan (and Hassan's father who has devoted several years of his life to Amir's family ) to leave their home. Amir figures he can live easier with the guilt of what happened if Hassan is not around to remind him.
His scheme works, and soon after they are gone, the Soviets are advancing on Kabul, forcing Amir's family to leave Afghanistan - eventually relocating some years later to the west coast of the USA.
In California, nearly 20 years later, Amir and his father have struggled for many years - obviously not able to replicate the wealth of their former existence. But Amir graduates from community college and is well on his way to a career in writing. He meets the girl of his dreams, asks her father's hand (as is still custom in the middle east) and they are married but are unable to have children.
Amir then receives a phone call from an old family friend from Afghanistan who has relocated to Pakistan and tells Amir he must come "home". He gives him good reason, and the story continues to follow his quest overseas, back to his war-ravaged homeland to retrieve the respect he lost, to pay the debt he owes Hassan, and to change his own life, forever.
I highly recommend this movie. My husband thought he wouldn't want to watch it at all, but he sat through it - even with subtitles in some parts - and he enjoyed it as well. It is something completely different, and while I won't say it was better than the book, it does follow it quite closely and is as moving and affecting. The young boys playing the role of Amir and Hassan were great. The supporting cast - in particular Amir's father - were stellar as well.
And if you like the movie, consider reading the book. It was the first book in a long time that I wanted to carry everywhere I went, in case I got a few moments time to read...
