The Kite Runner

Film adaptations never come close to recreating the feel or impact of the book they are based on. While this is true even of fantasy novels(Harry Potter) and fiction(Absolute Power), the difference is really apparent when the novel is a character-based narrative that thrives on emotions. That is what happens in the case of The Kite Runner, based on Khaled Hosseini's novel of the same name. It is a solid, perfectly acceptable adaptation of the novel that feels like it couldn't have been done any better but it still lacks the emotional impact and intensity of the book.

As I mentioned when I wrote about the book, "the story provides the opportunity for the characters to run through a gamut of emotions and Hosseini's talent lies in describing these emotions with great clarity". That lucid description of complex emotions is the strength of the novel and that is precisely the aspect that gets lost in the translation to film. Whether its Amir's guilt, his happiness at getting an opportunity for redemption or his father's pride, the effect of the characters' facial expressions and body language that are used to convey them just cannot match the power of the written word. It doesn't help that some sequences(including my favorite one, when Amir visits his driver's home and meets his children on his return trip to Afghanistan) that were admittedly outside the main track but still powerfully emotional, are omitted.

Though Hosseini's marvelously descriptive writing helped evoke images of what he was writing about, seeing it on the screen does make it more realistic. Well-nuanced performances and the realistic setting draw us into the lives of the characters. And having read the book turns out to be an advantage since many of the otherwise-ordinary lines("For you, a thousand times over") seem even more resonant. The movie works best after Amir's return to Afghanistan. The way the country has been transformed is tragic and the gloomy setting makes many scenes(like the ones in the orphanage and the stadium) rather unsettling. And the sense of dread when Amir meets Assef and the sense of urgency when he goes on the run feel very real.