One of the most awaited film (in my list, anyway and I guess in many film lovers) is The Kite Runner and I absolutely looked forward to seeing the review at the NY Times. To my big disappointment, the reviewer Ms. Darghis failed to impress.

"In both novel and film form, “The Kite Runner” recounts a simple yet shrewd story about that favorite American pastime: self-improvement. Amir’s childhood mistake isn’t a careless juvenile offense; it’s a human stain that must be scrubbed out through self-abnegation, confession and personal transformation. Yet, watching this film, you are left to wonder whom precisely is all this suffering for — is it for Amir? Hassan? Afghanistan? Or do Hassan and the story’s other sad children — especially those hollow-eyed boys and girls glimpsed during the preposterous climax in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan — suffer because it’s possible to package other people’s pain and turn it into a commercial diversion? It’s no surprise that for all its foreign trappings, “The Kite Runner” tells the same old comforting story. We wouldn’t have it any other way."

Having read the book and having seen the movie, I have experienced something I have not felt in years- an intense emotional roller-coaster ride and a sense of belonging. I can identify with this film and I am utterly impressed. Just like many of the readers at NY Times I needed to react and many others did too.

This comment hits the target:

"Ms. Dargis’ review is, as others said, quite off the mark. I saw the movie last night. I have visited Peshawar and I have also worked on Afghanistan. The movie is very credible and the portrayal of the characters is mostly excellent, in my view. The visual beauty of the boys' kites flying magically in the sky 'cutting' off the contestants' kites relieves the extreme tension of the boy-rape scene (which is crucial to this story) and the later violence. The sets are not banal. The scenes of Peshawar and Kabul looked like those locations then -- and today. They are what they are -- dusty poverty, irregular shaped rooftops, and decapitated animal heads in the market. The violent scene in the football stadium in the name of "Taliban justice" shows what has been widely reported to have occurred. The three respective portrayals by the child actors are authentic and very well done. I think Ms. Dargis should go see the movie again and view it from the perspective of someone who is not necessarily trying to write a provocative review. It is fine to be provocative, but one needs to balanced also."

For those who have watched the movie, it's about time you say your piece and perhaps share it here...

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