Kite Runner: There's a way to be good again

I am not sure how I ended up clicking the link of this movie when I was checking a site that gives access to watch free movie online. I didn't regret it, Kite Runner has a very touching story, I even wept. I attach the clip from the movie at the end of this post so that everyone who don't have access to the movie can have a glimpse of it, and also can listen to its lovely song.

Normally when I watch a horror movie and feel very scared, I will insert the images of film director, camera and so on into my head to neutralise my feeling or even kill the spine-chilling effect. This didn't work for Kite Runner, this movie still moved me to tears.

Kite runner is a story about two boys who befriend each other, but ruined by the cowardices of one of the boys. Hassan is a son of the servant in the house of Amir's father. They have their good times together when Afghanistan is still a decent place to live. Hassan is always like a bodyguard to Amir, he protects Amir from Assef who is also a son of another rich man. One day Hassan almost fires his slingshot at Assef's eye when Assef and his two friends threaten them on a quiet alley. The incident makes Assef even hates Hassan more.

Baba, Amir's father, loves Hasan and cares about him enough. On the day of Hasan's birthday, Baba lets Hassan to choose his own presents, and one of them is a kite.
Hassan is a prominent kite fighter, and he also is a kite runner. He knows where the kite will falls even without having to follow the kite.

The tragedy begins on the kite tournament day in Kabul. Hassan prepares everything to make sure Amir can win the tournament, and he uses the kite which is his birthday present. He directs Amir to beat all the other kites. The last cut kite is the great trophy of the tournament and everyone are trying to get it. Hassan runs to get the kite for Amir. "For you a thousand time over" says Hassan to Amir before he runs for the kite.

Unfortunately, Hassan falls into bad luck. He gets the trophy kite, but he runs across Assef and his abettors on a desolate back street. In the meantime, Amir who is worried because Hassan is still not back manages to find Hassan. He witnesses how Hassan refuses to hand out the kite to Assef because Hassan wants Amir to have it. Amir is too cowardly to act -I was very sad and mad seeing this scene, really a disturbing scene. Hassan, a ten years old or eleven years at most boy, must experiencing a painful disgrace in humanity. It's a real heartbreaking scene, the worst tragic to the boy's life.

Amir who feels very guilty of what happens to Hassan acts as if he doesn't know anything about it. Instead of comforting Hassan, Amir makes Hassan and Ali -Hassan's father to leave his house, and that's the last time Amir sees Hassan.

After Taliban takes over Afghanistan, Amir -who is now living in America- is forced to go back there by Rahim Khan -the best friend of Baba. Rahim Khan tells Amir "There is a way to be good again" as if he knew what happened to Hassan that day. The way is by saving Sohrab who is a son of Hassan. Rahim Khan shows Amir the unsent letter from Hassan, this is very touching. Hassan's heart is still pure, he still loves Amir and he hopes to see Amir again. At first Amir is still reluctant, until Rahim reveals him Baba's dark secret concerning Hassan's background.

The mission takes Amir to once again encounter his old enemy Assaf. It turns out Assaf takes Sohrab with him to be his dancing boy. He does to Sohrab what he did to Hassan :(((

For the first time Amir can get his dignity back and finds solace in his heart -although I think it's still too late- and just like the old times when Hassan stood for him, this time Sohrab also protects Amir by shooting an iron ball with his slingshot to Assaf eyes. They both manage to escape from Assaf and Afghanistan. Amir brings Sohrab to the USA with him. Amir and his wife then become Sohrab's parents. The film is closed by the scene of Amir runs the kite for Sohrab and recites Hassan words "for you a thousand times over".

I read the synopsis of the book, though the film is very good, I think the book is even better. I also sense the controversy before I read that this film raises protests especially in Afghanistan. It is about the scene of what Assaf did to Hassan on that deserted alley. A thorough reading about the film and its controversy is available in The Kite Runner wiki.

Memoirs of a Geisha

When I read that Arthur Golden's novel about 4 years ago, I dreamt to see it filmed cos the book is very well written.
The plots were interweaving in my head when I was reading it and I really felt like I could see Sayuri with her blue-grey eyes, the Chairman and the other characters.
Recently, its film version is out, but.....
To my disappointment the lead roles are not played by Japanese actresses at all.
I don't mean that those Chinese actresses are less pretty or don't play well.
The matter is exotism, Chinese and Japanese each have their own differently.

I think I'm not going to see it, I'm afraid the movie will ruin my ideal picturing of the book. Maybe I will read the book again instead of watching the flick.

Yesterday afternoon while still in Shanghai, Leet sms-ed me. Rumour says Memoirs of a Geisha is banned in China, probably because the current political dissonance between the two countries.

Wiki says Memoirs of a Geisha is "a movie about Japanese played by Chinese, written by whites".
Click the image to see some old postcards with genuine images of Geisha.

Wondeful Fool

I can't really use my own words to comment such a Wonderful Fool, a book written by a famous Japanese writer Shusako Endo.
The main character, Gaston Bonaparte, the horse-face man taught others in touch with him with his ‘foolishness.'

I better steal the words from that wonderful story itself:

There are some who are cowards from birth.
There are some who are weak by nature.
There are even some who cry easily.
But for such a man, a man both weak and cowardly, to bear the burden of his weakness and struggle valiantly to live a beautiful life – that's what I call great.

For the first time in her life Tomoe came to the realisation that there are fools and fools.
A man who loves others with an open-hearted simplicity, who trusts others, no matter who they are, even if he is deceived or even betrayed – such a man in the present-day world is bound to be written off as a fool. And so he is.
But not just an ordinary fool. He is a wonderful fool.

I almost couldn't take my eyes off this book the moment I started to read it.
I got so absorbed, that when I awoke in the middle of my sleep at 01.00 am, I took this book and read it until almost 04.00 am!
One of the best gripping books I've ever read!
For those in Jakarta, you can find the book from Gramedia, it's cheap, only IDR 20,000!

Dignity is not all being strong, brave, brainy or all that mostly matter to the world, but dignity is as simple as doing good to other people, and perhaps to don't mind to be a fool, a wonderful fool.