MADreads

A rainbow of kites flying over Kabul

December 22nd, 2007 Molly - Central

The Madison Public Library offered a promotional contest for free tickets to a sneak preview of the movie The Kite Runner based on the book by Khaled Hosseini.  I was one of the lucky recipients and joined a couple hundred folks at the Frederic March Play Circle at the Memorial Union to watch the Madison premiere of a movie that is sure to be a favorite when it gets released to wider audiences this holiday season.  

The book, beloved by book groups and critics and on the bestseller lists for years, tells the story of Amir, a young Sunni Afghan boy who is raised alongside Hassan, a Hazāra boy.  Amir’s father is wealthy and their years in Kabul are spent living lavishly.  Amir and Hassan go to the movies, play in the courtyard and fly kites.  But the tension between the Sunni and Shia Muslims is ever-present and unspeakably horrible events occur that alter the lives of Amir and Hassan forever.  

Kite Runner spans the years in Afghanistan from the 1960s and 70s before the Soviet invasion up until the current Taliban era.   Amir and his father flee Afghanistan in the 1970s and eventually end up in California.  They rebuild their lives, Amir finishes college, and goes on to be a writer.  But always hanging over Amir’s head is the memory of Hassan. 

In some ways, the movie is better than the book.  I already knew when the tragic events would take place, so I was prepared when they occurred in the movie.  The words of the novel depicted these events in a way that was far more graphic than the movie.  I savored the characters and relationships in the novel; the movie also captures these very well.  And the movie takes advantage of the scenery in a way that I just couldn’t visualize while reading the book.  The kites flying in the blue sky over Kabul in full color on a large screen look so much more beautiful than anything I imagined. 

Whether or not you’ve read the book, the movie is beautiful.  Heartbreaking, and beautiful.

Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction