contemporary world cinema for salmon arm and kelowna |
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The Kite Runner
Country: USA
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Director Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland) returns to the screen with a daring film adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel, The Kite Runner. Initially set in Afghanistan during the sixties, amid political turmoil, this is an unforgettable story about loyalty and redemption, and a powerful exploration of father-son relationships. The story begins with a young boy named Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi) and his best friend—and the son of his servant, Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada). Amir struggles to succeed in his father’s eyes and sets out to win his father’s affection by competing in a kite-running tournament, in which participants with kite-battle skills seek to eliminate their foes by maneuvering their own kites, which have special strings, often coated with glass, to slash the strings of others. When Amir wins, and his kite is the last in the sky, Hassan goes to retrieve the final downed kite as a trophy for his friend; however, tragedy ensues, setting off a chain reaction of life-changing events for both boys. Amir immigrates to the US with his father, where he marries and becomes a successful writer. Unsettled by the tragic events of his childhood, Amir (now played by Khalid Abdalla) returns to Afghanistan when he is called upon to rescue Hassan’s son from the Taliban. Seeking to right the wrongs that have haunted him for so long, Amir hopes to rekindle a friendship that was an intricate tapestry of love, defeat, freedom and disgrace. Forster’s adaptation intricately captures the intensity and audacity of the celebrated original work with its poignant story and insights into a seldom-glimpsed facet of Afghani culture. “…both boys give heart-rending performances…” Peter Travers, Rolling Stone |
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