In my history of watching movies, there are few that have absolutely changed my perspective on things. The kind of movie that when you watch it, you feel ignorant not knowing what you thought you knew. The Kite Runner is one of those movies. I will say in my movie watching of this year, it has been one of the best that I have seen in a long time. In the middle of the movie, Rachel turned to me and said "I must be completely ignorant because I thought Afghanistan was all desert." It's amazing what we can generate our opinion on based on the news coverage we see on television. Before watching this film, I thought of Afghanistan as a wasteland of nomads. Am I alone in that? However, the Kite Runner displays all the things that have happened in Afghanistan that have caused it to fall apart from the inside. Friends against friends. Family turning against each other. It was amazing to see a bustling Afghanistan and what happened shortly thereafter following the war.

The premise of the movie is about a young boy who is flies kites with his friends as past-time activity (doesn't that bring back good memories). When the Russians begin to move in, this young boy leaves his friends behind and heads to America. Following this, the country of Afghanistan is destroyed. The nation is decimated and one of his old friends has a son that is in the hands of the Taliban. He then travels back to the Afghanistan and is able to witness firsthand the transition that has become of his country. In efforts to not reveal more, just know it's one of those movies that will widely open your perspective (I hear the book is infinitely better but that's the way it always goes). Bottom line, it's a must watch for everyone. Brace yourself. The realities of a destroyed country are fully revealed.

The Kite Runner : A+
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Now playing: Jon Egan - Solid Rock