The Kite Runner (2008) (Blu Ray) - 8/10

This afternoon I checked out The Kite Runner on Blu Ray, a really great movie based on an acclaimed novel about the lives of two boys who grow up in Afghanistan and eventually America who have to deal with the aftermath of an incident that destroys their relationship forever. Director Marc Forester really does a great job in making this movie accessable to people like me as he used the original writer for creative support throughout the entire making to really get all the details of what is what like back then. The cinematographry and distant mountain landscapes make a great background for their kite flying competitions that all the local boys engage in as we see their daily lives and struggle to fit in. I really liked the friendship that ties this movie together where over the entire course of his life, he regrets the mistake of not helping his friend and vows to find his brother's kid to show that he can make up for it.

For some reason, this movie does a very good job of using both English and the local languages which made me understand their customs of setting up marriages or the sacrfices they must make for their family. Overall, the long span of time that the movie covers really made me reflect on their childhood memories and respected the hardships that he must have gone through in real life in order to live through all the terrorists that threatened him. The Kite Runner to me works b/c it has an almost epic feel to it, using the detailed history of a culture and real life stories told in hindsight that really shows a strong message of tradition, love, and remembering the people who changed your life.