Shame runs right through this redemption story, the filmed adaptation of the bestselling novel by Khaled Hosseini. The central character, pre-pubescent, aspiring writer Amir, is not an easy boy to like, and he disappoints his father, (an apparently shining example of the chivalric), because he is not a manly boy. Amir’s doggedly loyal young friend and servant, however, is a moral barometer, a knight in the making, saintly and ballsy by turns.
The opening credits use fabulous graphics and atmospheric music to create a sense of the eastern exotic and conjure up childhood tales from 1001 Arabian nights – Amir is a storyteller after all – but the film is strongly realist.
The Russians invade Afghanistan, Amir escapes to America with his father, and they must adapt from their ancient code of caste rules and family honour to consumer culture. Twenty years later, he returns to war torn Kabul, in the grip of the Taliban, his time of revelations.
Wholly masculine, apart from cameos of two Iranian women (Amir’s open, westernized young wife resettled in the US and a brutally persecuted, burkha covered woman), the film bears witness to male rape: of country and culture. It is about growing up, destruction of innocence, and theft. A key speech from Amir’s father focuses on theft as the root of all crimes, of possessions, liberty or life.
Amir keeps his own secrets and his rite of passage into adulthood is personal. Although the usual childhood demons are present, in the form of neighbourhood bullies and fractured communication with his father, Amir’s story is an allegorical one about devotion, dignity, and the need to fight for oneself, and for others. This is a sensitive and absorbing film about friendship, responsibilities and the importance of honour.
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