This film has the following themes; drama, courage and depression. The friendship between the two main boys, Amir and Hassan is strong and complicated. At the beginning, they seem to have a great friendship despite their different social status. Amir is the son of a wealthy man while Hassan is the son of Amir's dad's servant. They appear to be as close as brothers, especially when they participate in the sport of kite fighting in Kabul, Afghanistan. Hassan's bravery is seen when they are confronted by some bullies and he is not afraid to defend himself and Amir. While Amir is not as brave as Hassan, he excels in writing stories and he often reads his stories to Hassan.
However, it all goes downhill after Amir and Hassan beat Amir's father's record of 12 "kills" of kites. When Hassan leaves to collect the last kite for Amir, he is confronted by the same bullies. Amir searches for him but cowers in fear when he sees what the bullies will do to him if he interferes. This scene is the straw that broke the camel's back, because after this event, Amir felt ashamed to be friends with Hassan since he did not save him. After this, Amir tries to get Hassan kicked out of the house and finally accomplishes this when he frames Hassan for stealing his watch. As they leave, time passes by and Amir and his dad are forced to leave the country because of the interference of the Soviet Union. Another strong scene is when they are running away and their truck is stopped and searched by a Soviet army private, and Amir's dad risks his life to save a married woman's dignity. This scene shows the audience and Amir of how bravery can seem foolish at times but not when it is used to help the helpless.
Time passes by and we meet Amir and his dad again living in California as a low-income family. Once a great, wealthy man, Amir's dad now works at a service station and at a flea market. Amir continues to write stories and seems to have gained some courage along the way. He falls in love with a woman and does his best to marry her despite her father's refusal. At this time, Amir's father falls ill and dies. Time passes by and we are shown Amir and his wife receiving a package of his first published book. We also learn that Amir's wife cannot have children.
Later, Amir is contacted by his father's old friend, who asks him to return to Pakistan. Amir does and finds out that Hassan has been killed and that he left a son behind. Amir's father's friend tells him that he should save Hassan's son and later tells him that Hassan was Amir's brother. After learning that Hassan was his half-brother, he decides to return to Kabul to search for the boy.
Because Kabul is still controlled by the Taliban, he has a driver helping him stay out of danger. When he finds the orphanage that the boy should be at, he finds out that the boy has been taken away by a Taliban official who regularly visits the orphanage to take young boys and girls.
At this point, Amir risks his life to save the boy, even by fighting the bully he encountered in his childhood. This scene shows the audience how Amir has grown from his cowardly lifestyle to someone who risks his life to save his nephew.
In the end, they return to California and the couple decide to take the boy in as their own. This film shows us how badly society can be affected by an outside power. We are shown Kabul before and after the Soviet invasion. We are shown the cruelty of man and how children are also affected by war. It was a moving story and I liked how Amir grew up throughout the film.
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