The Kite Runner

Last night I watched a movie called The Kite Runner, produced by Participant Productions, a media company that was created to fund feature films and documentaries that promote social values and address social issues while still being commercially viable. The Kite Runner is about a young man named Amir who is asked to go back to his homeland of Kabul, Afghanistan to help the son of his old childhood friend, Hassan.



The film is based on the National Bestseller novel by Khalid Hosseini, and although it received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, in my opinion the movie was not up to par because of the acting (with exception to the main child actors). Plot was great, cinematography at some points very beautiful, but the actors playing Amir and his wife made it feel less genuine.

But the children playing young boys Amir and Hassan were wonderful--sadly, I recently discovered that after the film was done, their families were concerned about their security (the fear of kidnapping). Fortunately, Paramount relocated the main boy actors to United Arab Emirates and agreed to pay for their living expenses until they reach adulthood.

And as nice as that is, it's ironically sad that the conclusion of the film reflects reality: one or a few boys are rescued from their surroundings while the rest are abandoned to live in a war-torn country. I really hope it doesn't remain that way...