While we’re hesitant to admit it, we often don’t understand what it means to live in a country other than America. Could I tell you what a person in, say, Turkmenistan goes through in an average day? No, and odds are I couldn’t tell you where it was on a map, either.

Case in point, while The Kite Runner, and the book on which it is based, is itself a work of fiction, recent news surrounding the film has told me that its portrayal of the dangers of living in Afghanistan are far more serious than I had ever been aware.

One of the lead characters, Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada), was evacuated from Afghanistan due to fear that his family might be killed by members of their own tribe. This is due to one of the film’s most defining, and haunting, moments, which involves the rape of a small boy. Apparently, the commentary on relationships between different ethnicities, which is one of the rape scene’s mitigating factors, is enough to put a 12-year-old actor in mortal danger.

The Kite Runner revolves around the life of a boy named Amir, who at the film’s outset is living a comfortable life due to his father’s wealth, and has befriended the son of his father’s servant, Hassan. However, Amir, who struggles constantly and often futilely to win his father’s affection, takes out his frustration on Hassan and his family, which drives a wedge between the two that continues past Amir and his father’s escape from Afghanistan into America when the Russians invade.

There Amir and his father attempt to make a life for themselves, though the call of home and the desire, as the film says, “to be good again,” draws Amir inexorably toward his home of Kabul on his search for redemption.

Now, being an adaptation, my first complaint is a frequent one in such adaptations: The source material is far too expansive to be given true justice in film, and so many of your favorite scenes will be altered or cut.

This also means important scenes have to be delivered rapid fire, and the film’s first act has this overwhelming sense of urgency; there’s very little time to sit and reflect about the revelations within the story. This is saved, however, by the film’s second act in America, which is a gigantic and not unwelcome change in tone and scenery, as the war-torn tragedy is left behind, and the father and son are forced to learn to live with one another.

This second act also represents one of my favorite things about The Kite Runner — the difference between their lives in Afghanistan and America is so profound. Neither of these two worlds feel truly aware of the other, and each possesses its own rules and its own struggles. While life in Afghanistan was one of political and economic turmoil, life in America is one of quiet, personal struggle as the characters must learn to live with themselves, now there is no war.

Afghanistan isn’t portrayed as a “bad” country, nor is America shown to be some great bastion of peace and freedom, but the stark contrast the two create is something to be witnessed and treasured.

Moving into the realm of content, be forewarned, as this is a very dark and tragic film at times. The rape scene is only one of several horrifying and somewhat upsetting sequences. The movie isn’t all doom and gloom, as it carries a palpable sense of hope with it, and sequences in America give you time to breath and compose yourself, but it’s still a rough movie, especially for PG-13. The balance of light and dark elements, as well as a strong, modern and flowing musical score, are what keep this movie from being a complete downer.

Of special note is the film’s cast, which is composed mainly of Afghani citizens who give the movie a very genuine feel yet still allow it to retain meaningful performances.

A poignant film overall, marred chiefly by feeling more like an adaptation than a film in its own right but making for an enjoyable experience, provided you can stomach the darker content.