The film The Kite Runner is based on the book and contains both subtle and explicit differences as all books and films do. Both the book and the film have very compelling and moralistic themes, although at times the film's themes seem limited. The themes presented in the film and book are penance, loyalty, prejudice, religion and growth. The characterization, the overall plot of the film, and the setting of the book seem to be consistent with each other although they can vary either slightly or drastically at times. One of the main themes in both the film and the book seems to be penance. The story of The Kite Runner is all about learning to "be good again." Both the film and the book share the idea that the sins of. In the book Amir can be seen as a troubled boy who struggles with a huge amount of guilt. It's easy to blame Amir's actions on his own guilt and his father's lack of love towards him. The film doesn't allow that. The film characterizes Amir as a boy who, in order to blind his own needs, must be a respectable and noble friend. The film doesn't do a good job of showing that Amir felt terribly guilty about what he did to Hassan. He describes Amir as uncaring and selfish. The film also changes the portrayal of Amir as an adult. While the book shows Amir as a man who has not yet learned to stand up for what is right until he comes face to face with his past, the film is ahead of its time and shows the change earlier with the change of scene. The scene that changes is when Amir and Farid visit the orphanage where Sohrab is supposed to be. In the scene it is Amir who tries to kill the owner of the orphanage instead of Farid, which takes away from Amir's character of cowardice depicted in the book. The movie makes Amir seem stronger ahead of time, while the book keeps his personality weak until he is faced with a situation he can't help but resist. Likewise, Hassan's characterization is as lacking as Amir's in the film. In the book, Hassan is shown as selfless beyond a doubt and loyal to a fault. The characterizations of the main characters are not very different in the film compared to the book, but they are incomplete. The film doesn't show the depth and secret desires that motivate the characters and doesn't allow you to sympathize with and truly know the characters. The film follows the basic plot outline of the book but doesn't incorporate all the little details that make the book so profound. In contrast, the setting in the film and book is mostly identical. One line in the book tells the entire story of Amir. The phrase is said by Rham Khan and it is "There is a long time to be well again". The joke tells Amir's true desire to atone for his sins as a child. Since both the movie and the book focus on that one line, they are both more similar than different. In conclusion, however, the movie wasn't quite like the book and emphasized some themes more than others, it still told the story and shared the lessons of the book