FILM: The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner tells the story of the life of Amir Khan, who is tormented by the guilt of abandoning his best friend, Hassan, to the cruelty of the local bullies - an event that changes the two forever. The last third of the novel tells of Amir's desperate attempt at salvation; trying to redeem his childhood cowardice.
The story is also about the radicalisation of Afghanistan, and the mass exodus from Kabul to Pakistan and the US.

The Kite Runner had A LOT to live up to, for me. The book was one of the most wonderful books I've ever read (in my opinion), and I was very intrigued to see how the film would portray it.

The trouble is, the book is all in the mind of our protagonist, Amir. We see him grow up, we grow through his moral torments bit by bit, we see his wrong doings, his emotions, and fears. The plot very much depends on what is going on in Amir's mind. But the film doesn't quite capture this.

As itself, the film is good. There may come a time when I end up watching it again with a friend (I wouldn't be the one to pick it, though). But in comparison to the book, the film falls short.
The acting and direction and script are great. As a film it ticks all the boxes for me. As an adaptation - it doesn't.

The relationship between Amir and his father is very important to the book - it is a catalyst for the major events in the novel. The film doesn't really explore this relationship. We see Amir's father saying nasty things about him, but we rarely see them reacting off each other.
It is unclear why Amir plots to have Hassan sent away - in the book, it is a multitude of reasons, all stemming from Amir's view of the world.
There is an incredibly important scene nearing the end of the book, in which Amir finally stands up for himself, and for someone else (he has always been haunted by his own cowardice), and is almost killed in the process. This scene in the film is not nearly as dramatic and poignant in the film.
There are also some of those nit-picky things to complain about - eg why are they speaking English to each other?

The directors made a valid attempt at translating the book to the film and, as a film, it's quite good. As an adaptation...well, it tells the plot right but, somehow, it misses the point.