A sensual meditation on life, war, and notions of progress in a city pummeled by decades of war, the film meanders more than it asserts. An earnest Canadian peacekeeper reflects on the daunting task of rebuilding not only infrastructure but a viable sense of nationalism. An herbal doctor’s encounters with patients reveal various Afghanis’ sense of their place in the world. Female university students resist the notion that the West has saved them from oppression. A taxi driver, a spiritual healer, a French humanitarian, police officers, and politicians all share their perspective on the impossible state of affairs in Afghanistan and the discomfort with foreign presence and intervention. But kite runners, amulets, and songs transmit an unlikely sense of hope and humor, insisting that though buildings, roads, and bodies have been razed by war, the spirit of Kabul has not crumbled.  SW