Film Review "The Kite Runner"

Tittle: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Actor/Actress: Khalid Abdalla, Ahmad Khan, Mahmidzada, Atossa Leoni, Shaun Toub
Sutradara: Marc Forster (2007)
Genre: Drama


What does it tell about?
This film was adoptived from a novel with same tittle that was written by Khaled Hosseini. The film is about two hours. The Kite Runner tells about a friendship of two children who have different social class. Their name are Amir Khan and Hassan.

Characters
Main characters from this film is Amir Khan. He is a Baba’s child.. Amir Khan lives in luxurious life because his father is a rich person in Afghanistan. Baba is an anticommunist person. He is a famous person in Afghanistan because of his kindness and braveness to communist. Another important character is Hassan. Hassan is Amir Khan’s bestfriend. He has a different life with Amir. He is a child of a housekeeper in Amir Khan’s house. His father’s name is Ali. To be a Amir Khan’s bestfriend is a difficult thing to do because Ali and Hassan are a Hazzara( the lowest social class in Afghanistan). Another character is Amir Khan’s uncle, Rahim Khan. Rahim Khan is an important person for Amir Khan because Rahim Khan always give Amir Khan spirit to be an author. There is some bad characters in this film, they are Sheff and his friends. They will give the changing of the friendship from Amir Khan and Hassan. In the last part of the film, there is a new character. His name is Sohrab, Hassan’s son.

Background
This film shows the culture of Afghanistan very well. We can see the condition of economics, politics, social, and security there. At the time, we will see the war situation that is very sadness. Many people there are killed without a clear reason.

Plot and Summary
This film uses flashback plot. The story began when Amir Khan who lived in America got a phone from his uncle, Rahim Khan, in order to come to meet him in Irak. At the moment, he remembered what else has happened in his childhood. Living in a rich family didn’t make him happy. His father considered him as a murder of his mother. It because his mother died when he was born. As a result, he became a quite and calm boy. Amir Khan had a bestfriend, named Hassan. Hassan came from poor family. He didn’t have mother since he was child. Hassan always took care of Amir Khan. Hassan always tried to make Amir Khan safe.

Amir Khan became an egotistical person. One day, Amir Khan won a kite competition. In Afghanistan, playing kite was a popular game. At the end, Hassan wanted to get the rival kite for Amir Khan. Suddenly, there were three bad boy came and hurted Hassan. It because Hassan don’t want to give his kite that will be given for Amir Khan. At the same time, Amir Khan found Hassan and he saw when the three boys hurted Hassan, but he did nothing. In addition, Amir Khan don’t want to be a Hassan bestfriend again. He made Hassan  and his father went out from his house.

Not a long time from the moment, Amir Khan and her father went to America because communist found them to be killed. In fact, Uni Soviet was invating Afghanistan when they escaped. In America, Baba do hard work to spend Amir tuition. Baba was successful father because he could Amir passed in his college. After finishing his study, Amir worked as an author. He also married Soraya, a daughter of his father friend.

His mind went back to the time when he got a phone. He decided to go to Irak. Finally, Amir Khan met with his uncle. His uncle said that he had to take Hassan’s son, named Sohrab, from Taliban. From that moment, he gave the best of his spirit to help this child. Fortunately, He was successful. He took this child as his child. He helped Sohrab because he felt that Sohrab’s father was the best person for him.

Values
There are some values in this Afghanistan film. This film is made to show a friendship between two child with different culture. They are Amir Khan and Hassan. Amir Khan is one of rich people from upper class in Afghanistan. Hassan is a poor child from lower class, called Hazzara. In this film,  people can see a loyalty and treason in the same time. Eventhough this film is made by an India director of stage film and is acted by Afganistan actors, it has same values with West films. For example: individuality, achievement and success, humanity, education, activities and working, and freedom.

1. Achievement and Success
This value we can see from how Amir Khan and his father went to America because of chaos in Afghanistan. I’ am sure it is a brave choice. They got ready to leave their rich and position in Afghanistan to have freedom in America. The father works as low job. It’s because to spent  Amir Khan’s college. Finally, Amir Khan could pass from the college and then Amir Khan tried to be author. They had showed their good achievement.

2. Humanity
Humanity can we find from scene when Amir Khan in America came back to Afghanistan.He found Hassan child, Sahrob, in the chaos of Afghanistan. He thought that helping Sahrob is an important thing to do because Sahrob’s father is a special people for him.

3. EducationIn this film we can see that people in all condition always thought that education is important. Amir Khan try to pass his study in America eventhough he and his father didn’t have anything again. And then there is obsession from his father to see his child become a doctor. He think that doctor is good job. It is same with Indonesia nowadays. Indonesia people begin to realize how important to give education for their children. Indonesia people doesn’t think that riches and possition from parents always can help their future like before.

4. Freedom
There is a wish to get freedom in this film. We can see from scene when Amir Khan and his father went to America because of invation Uni Soviet in Afghanistan. They want to get their new life in America. If they didn’t go to America, there is possible that Amir’s father will be killed because his father opposed communist very much. He defended Afghanistan right as long as his life.