Kite Runner

(http://www.kiterunnermovie.com/)

A movie directed by Marc Foster, based on a novel by the same name by Khaled Hosseini. Though most of the film is set in Afghanistan, these parts were mostly shot in Kashgar, China due to the dangers of filming in Afghanistan at the time of the making of the movie.Much of the film's dialogue is in Dari Persian (with English subtitles), and English.

In a divided country on the verge of war, two childhood friends, Amir and Hassan, are about to be torn apart forever. It's a glorious afternoon in Kabul and the skies are bursting with the exhilarating joy of a kite-fighting tournament. But in the aftermath of the day's victory, one boy's fearful act of betrayal will mark their lives forever and set in motion an epic quest for redemption. Now, after 20 years of living in America, Amir returns to a perilous Afghanistan under the Taliban's iron-fisted rule to face the secrets that still haunt him and take one last daring chance to set things right.

The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the Taliban regime.

Controversy

- The Afghan government has banned the film from movie theaters and DVD shops because of the rape scene, and the ethnic tensions that the film highlights.

- Paramount relocated the three main boy actors playing Amir, Hassan, and Sohrab, and one with a minor role playing Omar, each accompanied by a relative, to the United Arab Emirates. Reportedly it accepts responsibility for the boys' living expenses until they reach adulthood, a cost some estimated at up to 500,000 dollars.

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Last year, the book was distributed to a number of staff in my dept for reading for a reader's circle programme. I borrowed it from Em after she highly recommended it and found the story riveting.

So obviously, I was excited when I realised that it was made into a movie and will be shown in the cinemas.

I would highly recommend the movie to everyone.

The complexity of the characters, portrayed through their relationships with people and the actions they chose to make. The subtlety in getting a message across through hints dropped at conversations and in the choice of certain snapshots at the scene.

It's definitely one of the better movies i've watched this year.