The Kite Runner, despite its rather specific tale of Afghan refugees, tells a universal story of humanity and friendship. It was an eye-opening experience for me, as the story contained elements I wasn't expecting and it took place in a country I knew relatively little about. There are some powerful moments, both visceral and emotional, throughout the film, and an especially shocking one towards the beginning. Much like Reign Over Me, it was an emotionally satisfying movie, if not a deeply complex one, but one that is easy to appreciate and feel touched by. he cinematography was incredible, as was the acting by Homayoun Ershadi as the father of the main character, who was believable in every aspect of being--and a very interesting character to boot!
However, all the rest of the acting I wasn't too big a fan of. The story was sometimes predictable, and a bit overlong, as it contained scenes with very little worth while more moving scenes were given short shrift. Much of the movie felt too literary, and it was also a bit confusing, as if an initial cut had voice-over and in the final cut they just took it out. I didn't like the kite flying special effects, mostly because I knew they were special effects, although they were really cool to watch. Overall, an entertaining and moving film, but definitely not one of Marc Forster's (or David Benioff's for that matter) best efforts.IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0419887/