But even though "The Kite Runner" is trite and unremarkable in almost every, it somehow manages to be an enjoyable movie.
The film has a certain authenticity, which overwhelms the negative inklings that any critical viewer might have. The acting is top-notch across the board, which is quite remarkable since it's difficult to find child actors that are even mildly convincing -- and half the movie is dominated by children.
I was absolutely flabbergasted by how naturally Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada came off in the setting of Kabul, Afghanistan. Of course, they both had the advantage of being from Kabul originally. In real life after the movie was finished, the children were relocated to the United Arab Emirates, where there were fears of violent reprisals against the two boys, due to a controversial child-rape scene in the film. The filmmakers insist that this was necessary for the purposes of authenticity -- and it's exactly this dedication that gives the film its strengths.
"The Kite Runner" has a one-dimensional story line -- at least on paper. Two friends spend time together as children, flying kites in Afghanistan. One betrays the other and leaves Kabul without a word about the incident. Many years later, he goes back to atone for his sins. It's as simple as that.
The human aspect, more than the plot, wins the viewer over. The docudrama includes the Soviet invasion and the Taliban rule, but neither of the two groups is portrayed as inherently evil. The film avoids denigrating whole groups of people. When the Soviet army rolled into Kabul, I expected the Russians to be demonized en masse. While there were a couple of bad apples among them, there were others who were portrayed as decent human beings. And even though this film holds far more anger toward the Taliban than the Russians, it still resists the temptationto depict them as exceptionally evil.
Some of the characters, though, are portrayed as almost saint-like.
"For you, a million times over," says the ever loyal Hassan. Still, the actors manage to overcome the often sappy writing. It still seems real. It still seems genuine.
"The Kite Runner" is an ordinary story given flesh by extraordinary historical circumstances. In the Kabul market scenes, people do everyday things -- buy and sell produce, beg in the street. There is enough human emotion to carry the film through the ordinariness of everyday life, penetrating the intensity of more frightening situations addressed in the film.
There is an inescapable sentimentality and an innocent charm about the film. It has little else, but it's enough.
"The Kite Runner" is currently playing in Hanover at the Nugget theater.
