An Excellent Read; An intriguing film
A short while back, I caught the film The Kite Runner (directed by Marc Foster); a competent interpretation of its literary equivalent (authored by Khaled Hosseini) which i first read a couple of years ago. Basically, the plot revolves around a rich Afgan boy, and his tumultuous journey through several key events (with regards to the fate of Afghanistan) – the Soviet invasion and the subsequent mass ‘migration’ of refugees to the United States and Pakistan, and the saddistic rule of the Taliban. This monumental tale begins with Amir’s childhood experiences with a loyal friend, his father’s servant-boy Hassan (A Hazara; commonly considered an inferior race by the Afghans), who also serves as his ‘kite runner’ as he obsesses with peaceful Kabul’s sport of choice, kite fighting; eventually, Amir’s jealousy of his father’s favoritism for Hassan and his resentment of Hassan’s seeming moral ‘perfection’ drives him to severe their friendship and successfully compel Hassan and his father to reluctantly leave the household. Soon, the Soviet invasion commences and Baba (Amir’s father) takes Amir to seek refuge in the United States and start a new life. Fifteen long years flash by before Amir recieves news of Hassan’s death and subsequently orphaned son (Sohrab); spured on by immense guilt of his mistreatment of Hassan years ago and a desire for moral redemption, Amir returns to Kabul to ‘rescue’ Sohrab from the atrocities of the Taliban regime. With much difficulty, he succeeds, and brings Sohrab back to the United States to live with him.
The film succeeds in asserting the key features of the novel (however, I do prefer the novel as it provides a far more meticulous treatment of the story; it simply is impossible to include all the minute but nonetheless meaningful details in the film) – social commentary with regards to Kabul, the highly emotive nature of the tragic tale and the theme of redemption and atonement.
During the course of the film, the visual choreography clearly illustrates the juxtaposition of Kabul during initially peaceful times (depicted on screen as a flourishing and vibrant city; buzzing with activity and a literally colorful culture) and a dilapidated Kabul during the Russian onslaught and subsequent reign of the Taliban (portrayed on screen as a lifeless city, lined with seemingly deserted and quiet streets, littered with the ruins of numerous felled buildings; despair and fear now pervade Kabul). This visual juxtoposition is also accompanied by appropriately contrasting tones of music (nonverbal cue), further emphasizing the disparity of Afghanistan’s situation in the different time periods. In effectively highlighting this disparity, the film succeeds in its efforts at social commentary as it gains the audience’s empathy with regards to Kabul’s depicted fall from grace. A particularly disturbing scene in which Sohrab (Hassan’s son) is shown performing an erotic dance for a Taliban official further draws attention to the plight of the nation in recent times. Keeping in mind that this is an American production, this no doubt serves to convince the audience of the evil and saddistic nature of the Taliban and the catastrophic consequences which will befall Afghasnistan should the Taliban return to power. Indeed, the excellent cinematography (backed by an American perspective) serves as an effective medium for the communication of the show’s ‘messages’.
The highly emotive nature of this motion picture can be attributed to the credible work of a talented cast, appropriate utilization of background music and the inherently tragic nature of the script. The film’s depiction of Amir’s initial rejection of the saintly Hassan evokes much anger at the former and much pity for the later. The loyal Hassan’s passive and dispairing silence (effective implemetation of paralinguistics) in the midst of Amir’s verbal abuse, mistreatment and sabotage, and towards his endurance of getting sodomized in his efforts to protect Amir from harm, tugs relentlessly at one’s heartstrings, and actually serves to elevate the emotional significance and impact (on the audience) of Amir’s redemption in his eventual relentless quest to rescue Sohrab (the touching demonstration of his desire for atonement). A personal takeaway for me was derived from the depiction of Baba’s undying love for his son Amir (despite his perpetual disappointment in Amir) and Baba’s depressing demise later on; the paternal love depicted on screen left me with an important reminder to treasure my loved ones all the more (life is too short for regrets).
Finally, I am sure that audiences of the film will subsequently revise any previously presumptuous and stereotypical perceptions of Muslims (their unfair prototyping of all Muslims or Afghans as dangerous and worthy of suspiscion due to the recent onslaught of terrorism and guerilla warfare in the Middle East); the film’s potroyal of the massive moral disparity between the radical and evil Taliban officals, and the conservative, respectful and genuinely religious nature of the regular Afghan people, serves to emphasize the vital need to discern the good from the bad, instead of implementing an unjustified judgement on all in the particular prototype category. In present times, where the safety of the international Muslim community is being threatened by mounting suspiscion and unobjective racism (due to the contempt for the actions of Muslim extremists), the relevance of such a film and the message it embodies, cannot be over-emphasized. Indeed, it is important to be aware of the negative influences of one’s cognitive schemata.
Meaningful and deeply thought-provoking; encompassing important social commentary amidst an engaging tale. The Kite Runner is a must read and a decent watch.
The movie’s trailer.
