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Kite Runner, The

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Source: Catholic News Service

Superb adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's bestseller about an Afghan writer (Khalid Abdalla) now living in the U.S. who recalls how as a boy (played by Zekiria Ebrahimi) in his native homeland, he failed to help and subsequently betrayed his best friend (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada), and now finds he has a chance to atone for that misdeed. Under Marc Forster's sensitive direction , the beautifully acted film provides a fascinating portrait of pre- and post-Taliban Afghanistan; its fine human values, strong affirmation of friendship and family, and redemptive ending should move even the most stone-hearted. In Dari and English. Partially subtitled. A single profanity and use of the f-word, a brief rape scene with no nudity involving a small boy and a bully, two discreetly worded sexual references, illegitimacy theme, a violent beating and a woman's stoning. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults (though acceptable for older teens). The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. | Search Screen | Results Screen | Previous | Next | First Hit Word | This document, ranked number 2 in the hitlist, was retrieved from the NEWS database. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Download File MOVIE REVIEW Dec-12-2007 (860 words) With photo. xxxm The Kite Runner By Harry Forbes Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) -- Fans of Khaled Hosseini's international bestseller "The Kite Runner" will not be disappointed and should find the film version (Paramount Vantage) a richly satisfying adaptation, despite screenwriter David Benioff's necessary abridgement of some events. The film, quite superb in every way, opens in the year 2000. Amir (Khalid Abdalla), an Afghan writer now living in the United States, has just had his first book printed, and a shipment has arrived from the publisher. His excitement is undercut by a call from his father's old friend, Rahmin Khan (Shaun Toub), entreating him to visit him overseas. Amir thinks back to his childhood in 1970s Afghanistan. Now played by Zekiria Ebrahimi, young Amir lived with his father, Baba (Homayoun Ershadi), spending endless days playing with his best friend Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada), the small but feisty son of his father's longtime servant Ali (Nabi Tanha). The boys spend their days watching American Westerns like "The Magnificent Seven" at the local cinema, and flying their kites (a major pastime there) high above Kabul. Amir, an otherwise solitary boy who thinks his father hates him for causing the death of his mother during childbirth, is unassertive and lets the quick-witted, slingshot-savvy Hassan fight his battles. Kindhearted Rahmin takes an interest in Amir and seems to understand the boy's pain. One day after Amir has a tremendous victory with his kite, Hassan runs off to retrieve it so

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