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"THE KITE RUNNER" (PG-13)
Marc Forster's
emotional drama The Kite Runner brings something special to this year's
Oscar race
By Johnny Alba
In a year were most of the films touted as
Oscar contenders (even those competing for the Comedy/Musical spot on
the Best Picture race) are too dark, too violent or both; Paramount
Vantage’s spellbinding awards-hopeful The Kite Runner offers the
kind of poignant storytelling and social relevance that AMPAS has
effortlessly embraced in recent years.
Based on the vastly popular novel by
Khaled Hosseini, the Afghanistan-centered drama (partially spoken on the
Dari dialect) chronicles the return of LA-based writer Amir (Khalid
Abdalla) to his homeland after a long, painful exile. Staying faithful
to the beloved source material, the film focuses on the childhood
friendship of privileged Amir and his kite-flying friend (also the son
of his father Baba’s servant) Hassan; the tragic events that destroyed their
bond and Amir’s last chance to make up to his former friend for
his past mistakes.
The film, just like the novel, is all about contrasts: the glow of the
70’s Kabul where Amir and Hassan would spend their days flying kites is
gone on the 2000's grim zone of conflict, Amir’s father Baba is no
longer an influential personality in America and most importantly; the
boys’ innocence contrasts with the hate, the discrimination and the
evil they can’t even imagine will haunt them for the rest of their
lives.
Just like Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu in Babel, director Marc Forster
makes great use of his international, mostly unknown, cast to develop
believable, flawed individuals. During the vibrant (and longest) segment
of Amir and Hassan’s childhood; young actors Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad
Khan Mahmidzada carry the film with infecting candor and joy. During the
surprisingly-good CGI-generated kite flying sequences, the boys’ dreams
come true and we, as viewers, can fully relate to their feelings and
remember we once were just like them. When the boys must meet with the
harsh, real world; both children show a very mature understanding of the
events around them and their consequences.
Khalid Adballa is also convincing and remarkably expressive as the
tortured Amir (a role that will probably open many doors in Hollywood
for the Scottish actor) but it is Homayon Ershadi as Baba who truly
shines from the adult cast (which also includes Shaun Toub and Atossa
Leoni in solid supporting turns). On his Afghan life, Ershadi conveys
the intensity necessary to make Baba a very divisive personality but the
actor is also able to show the frustrations and nostalgia of an
immigrant now reduced to pump gas in California.
Marc Forster’s subtle direction is highly effective (the much-discussed
rape scene is cleverly shot) and his sophisticated comprehension of
ideal film narrative allows the story to stay away from the novel’s
melodrama. The emotional screenplay by David Benioff is both convincing
and confident; the writer realized what parts of the novel needed to be
sacrificed in order to develop Amir and Hassan’s relationship and his
director understood that an acclaimed novel can still be successfully
innovated and improved.
Ultimately, the risky artistic and creative freedom taken by Forster and
his team pay off and the result is one of the most touching and
intuitive dramas in recent years; one that book fans will still enjoy
and one that AMPAS members are more than likely to empathize with...
***1/2/**** |
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