‘The Kite Runner’
24Feb08
Met my good Afghan friend long ago in my early year of college. Never knew the friendship would go on by working in an Indian Catering Service in New York, and finally working together to making his first feature film. [A] was always full of stories, talkative and could talk from a topic to z topic in one conversation. Amazing, I noticed he never managed to cross back to point a going backward from z LOL. But it was fun nevertheless.
After I watch this film, no wait… as I was watching this film for a not long period of time, I could already enjoy imagining my friend about his Pashtun descend, the glory days of Afghanistan, the civil-war and the downfall of his motherland. And I would smile occasionally. Smile to the coincidences of similar stories in the film with those [A] have told his.
We were making an Afghan story film too that time. And I’m quite happy that the big $industry$ make a bigger version of film about this country. Accuracy of a non-fiction drama setting, time and place, is as important as a continuity of a character entering one place from a heavy rained street to me. Why? I think I’m gonna go personal with this. A film instructor in NYFA once told me that ‘you can’t act GOD’ in making your films. Being biased or misinforming in a non-fiction film is pretty wrong I think; not to mention weird. However, I’ve experienced bad non-western films made by westerners mainly because of its accuracy. I have to say my thanks though to the filmmakers for bringing this one into a such a modest and close to accurate presentation, despite given the fact that it was also an adaptation to a novel.
The kite runner is a beautiful story of two childhood friends in once peaceful time in Afghanistan. Separated by the invasion and civil-war, one fled and the other remained in the country. The film reflects many aspect and ways of the living in the 3rd world muslim country (as where I am residing myself now) in such a subtle way. The social class gap, the rules of one’s society, the hypocrisy, the lies, all mixed and witnessed by the purity of these two boys.
Having said all this, I’m quite curious with [A]’s opinion about this film. I have a feeling that he has watched this film already… and would probably write me some quiet long comment on this (expecting!). In the end, I recommend this to those people who enjoy good childhood stories and would want to open their eyes to a different world that co-exist with us. Enjoy!
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I got a free ticket to watch this film but couldn’t find the time. I heard the book is amazing. I think it made it one of the NY Times best sellers for a few months. For some reason I don’t know why I wasn’t too thrill to watch it. The story is pretty catchy but at the same time quite expected.
Maybe when I read the book, I’ll have a different take on it….
P.S. MADERCHOT … !
-b
Yeah, I remember looking at the trailer once in apple couple months back. I was fascinated by the images, but then it isn’t much when I end up watching it in a old 10″ stained monitor tv set that D2 lend me to use in my own room. And, if it wasn’t because of the stacked dvd’s I have at home, I would end up watching it. The story might be quite expected, and I don’t want to ruin your readings. But, there’s one thing I didn’t expect is that it involves more of the childhood story (much of the bigger part of the film). You’ll enjoy the social class gap and all the complicated muslim society in a 3rd world country like ours that even it will carry years to come, as it is not executed in a radical way.