While the story of The Kite Runner itself is remarkable no matter in which way it is told, I felt that the book ultimately captured the emotions of the characters best, while the movie was more successful in emphasizing the context of the setting and the vibrant Afghan culture.
Though it understandably had to make some cuts due to the limited time frame, the movie version was mostly accurate to the book. In fact, watching the movie highlighted certain details that I never really thought about before. While the book always mentioned how Hassan and Ali worked around the house, actually seeing the two, especially Hassan in his diminutive stature during Amir’s party, carry around trays hit the point closer to home. I also found it immensely interesting and telling the way the blue kite was framed and placed in an in-your-face manner on the staircase in Amir’s house; this little touch truly elaborated on Baba’s pride for Amir’s kite-running win, something I thought the movie depicted accurately.
In addition, I felt that the Afghan culture came out particularly well in the movies. The wedding scene and intense kite-running tournament portrayed a vivacity that I thought the book could not completely demonstrate, and the Afghan-American culture also came out more clearly due to the constant switch between languages by the characters. Details such as the political speaker on the radio in the beginning and the kabob-selling on the streets not only allowed me to visualize Amir’s city better, but also helped bring to life the vast difference Amir felt between the past and present versions of Kabul; the stoning scene was particularly heart-wrenching to watch.
But while I liked many aspects of the movie, there were also some that I felt took away from aspects crucial in the book. For one, Baba did not cry or beg when Hassan and Ali left; I thought this downplayed their importance to him. In addition, I felt that the movie version of Baba’s character in the US was not as unsure or somewhat meek, as in the book. Another detail that truly bugged me was how completely different Assef was from the book. Instead of a blue-eyed blonde around the same age as Hassan and Amir, he was significantly older and larger with brown hair and eyes. At Amir’s party, he did not seem to command his parents, or actually his father in the movie, and did not present Amir with the Hitler book; I thought that this scene in the book was essential in establishing Assef’s deranged nature and foreshadowing his powerful control.
While I did like the movie’s kite-running ending, I felt that the book’s ending and movie’s ending were in too different contexts to compare; without Sohrab’s suicide attempt and the struggle to bring him back to the US, the movie’s ending was significantly more light-hearted and hopeful. Overall, I felt that due to the movie’s limited time frame, the scenes skipped around more to cover all the events without the same emotional investment the book put into the characters. Without a doubt, though, the movie is still a great supplement to the reading due to how successfully it visually impacts the audience.
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