The Kite Runner

Hi guys,
This is Nikhil here again. Later on this month, the 2020 group is going to show a film in school to generate awareness of the situation in Afghanistan. We plan to show "The Kite Runner," based on the book by Afghan Khaled Hosseini. After the viewing we will open up the forum for discussion, where any students (or hopefully parents) who come will be able to express their views on both the movie and the current situation in Afghanistan. For those who are not familiar with the movie, following is a short synopsis of the film. The movie starts off in Kabul before the violence hit. The city is filled with warm food, a rich cultural heritage, and surrounding natural beauty. The protagonist of the film is Amir, a Pashtun boy, who lives in a very wealthy enclave of Kabul with his father, Baba. The boy's father keeps a Hazara (ethnic minority) servant whose son, Hassan, and Amir grow up as the best of friends. Baba is critical of Amir for not being manly enough and blames the boy for his Amir's mother's death during childbirth. The two young boys, Amir and Hassan, live a carefree life of pleasure, though Amir is made fun of by the older boys for associating with a Hazara, which unfortunately the older boys believe to be an inferior race. Hassan kite- runs for Amir, and when Amir wins the local contest (though Hassan deserved the credit) Amir finally saw an opportunity to gain favor with Baba. Amir becomes jealous of Baba's affection for Hassan, so Amir himself pushes Hassan away as he views his childhood friend as a threat to Amir's reputation. Amir feels that his own life would be much easier if Hassan was not around, as Amir feels ashamed of his weakness compared with Hassan's selfless bravery, so Amir falsely frames Hassan of stealing some valuables from Baba. Altruistic as ever, Hassan falsely confesses to the theft and though Baba mercifully forgives the Hazara boy of the crime the servant and his son Hassan leave Baba's house forever.
When the Soviets invade Afghanistan, Amir and Baba dangerously escape Afghanistan, first stopping in Pakistan and then making their way to Fremont, California. Amir and Baba go from a life of luxury in Afghanistan to living in a run down apartment where Baba now works as a gas pump attendant. Amir gets married to a fellow Afghan refugee, Soraya, and soon after Baba dies. Amir and Soraya finds out that they can never have kids, and Amir embarks on a successful career as a novelist, possibly paralleling the life story of the true author of "The Kite Runner", Khaled Hosseini himself. One day, Amir receives a call from Pakistan, where one of Baba's Afghan friends tells Amir to return to Afghanistan as there is a "way to be good again." Upon return, Amir learns that Hassan was executed by the Taliban for loyally refusing to give up Baba's mansion, though Hassan's son, Sohrab, is still alive today. Amir is told to go find Sohrab and protect him from harm. Amir finally finds Sohrab in an orphanage, but is severely beaten as retribution for taking the child out of the orphanage. The abuser is none other than the rind- leader of the older boys who bullied Amir at a young age for spending so much time with the Hazara Hassan, creating a cyclical feeling to the movie and reconnecting the shards between past and present.
Amir takes Sohrab back to California eventually, but before that, Amir runs kites with Sohrab in Afghanistan, showing the boy some of Hassan's crafty old tricks. It is very difficult for the boy to adjust to a life of normalcy, though he is sheltered by Amir and Soraya and is nurtured and showered with love by the two refugees.
I hope that I have whetted your appetite to perhaps go out and rent the movie as it is a terrific (not too Hollywood romanticized) portrayal of Afghanistan then and now and how the Taliban leadership has affected everyday life for Afghan civilians.

Thanks for reading,
Nikhil