MONSTER'S Ball and Finding Neverland director Marc Forster - the surprise choice to direct the next James Bond movie - tackles different themes and issues in the film of Khaled Hosseini's bestselling book.

It's not an easy watch with childhood friends Amir (Zekiria Ebrahimi) and Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada) growing up in a Kabul on the verge of civil war.

They compete in kite-flying competitions, but an act of betrayal changes their lives and has awful repercussions beyond childhood. Twenty years later, Amir returns to Afghanistan under the Taliban from his new home in America following a phone call for help.

He embarks on a mission to go to wartorn Kabul and rescue Hassan's son (Ali Danesh Bakhtyari) from an orphanage.

Stars: Khalid Abdalla, Atossa Leoni, Zekiria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, Ali Danesh Bakhtyari
Running time: 128 mins
Rating: Three stars