I found this to be a highly lyrical piece of story telling. The director obviously has both an affinity and sense of compassion for his characters and actors.
The subject matter is not easy--and I have seen many approaches to same that do not work--this one does. The writer/director gives his central and ancillary characters true form and believable dialogue, a trick often missed when writers try to be 'urban' and end up ringing entirely false.
It is also interesting to follow the other work of the principal actors. They went on to work in other films of similar genre (apart from 'The Kite Runner')--but it is my opinion they did their best original work here.
I recommend giving this film more than one viewing, I have watched it three times and found something new each time--many layers and textures to be explored.
The subject matter is not easy--and I have seen many approaches to same that do not work--this one does. The writer/director gives his central and ancillary characters true form and believable dialogue, a trick often missed when writers try to be 'urban' and end up ringing entirely false.
It is also interesting to follow the other work of the principal actors. They went on to work in other films of similar genre (apart from 'The Kite Runner')--but it is my opinion they did their best original work here.
I recommend giving this film more than one viewing, I have watched it three times and found something new each time--many layers and textures to be explored.