Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

Why I Liked... Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

(Dir. Stephen Daldry Starring: Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow)

I enjoyed meeting the people Oskar (Horn) met on his travels throughout the various New York City boroughs.

Oh, oh, oh! One more-I also enjoyed watching how one can exploit an event such as when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers back in September 2001. That was enlightening.


Otherwise, this was a fairly dull piece of film making. A very manipulative piece, but dull none the less. It’s telling that the most interesting shot was the opening-a bright, clear blue sky the backdrop to a falling body. You know, from one of the towers-remember that grainy footage of people jumping? This is it in hi-def! Oh how lovely.

But this whole review isn’t going to be cynical, I promise. While I have gone on a bit about the film’s manipulative tactics, I can admit that I wasn’t exactly immune, myself. And that’s exactly why I didn’t really like this film-it was too knowing, and not earnest enough to evoke a genuine response, rather instead going for what we all know is a still sensitive subject for many people. It wasn’t a case of Too Soon, but more Too Much.

What a quirky little explorer.

Centred around a young boy Oskar Schell, whose father (Hanks) was in the tower on that terrible day, he sets out on a quest when he finds a hidden key in his father’s closet. It’s a mystery, much like the ones he and his dad used to solve together for fun. He’s a peculiar boy, Oskar is-it’s never stated what’s going on with him, but I have a hunch it may be something like autism, and his father seems to be the only one with the magic way about him to keep Oskar grounded (pun not intended), and talking.

So naturally, Oskar goes into a bit of a tailspin when his father dies on ‘The Terrible Day’, and can’t seem to connect with his mother (Bullock), so what else is there? The mystery key found in his father’s things hidden in the envelop with the word ‘Black’ written on it. Who does this belong to? Was it one more final mystery his father set up for him prior to his death? Onwards!

For the rest of the film Oskar travels through New York City, meeting up with people who have the last name Black. Naturally, there are a lot of people with the last name, and we meet...well, not all of them, but a lot of them. And they’re arguably the most interesting characters in the film. They come from all sorts of lives, some rich, some poor, big families, hermits, artists and musicians, and pretty much all race bases covered-and they all have the same response to Oskar asking them about the key and did they know his father. It’s sweet, really.

Book...within the movie...based on the book...

And yet, expected. Wait, what-New Yorkers bonding over this pivotal moment in their lives? Excuse me, I must gasp to myself in revelation. This is the kind of manipulation I talked about earlier-it’s just...so blatant and in your face.

In short, it was a pretty boring film, while being a little heart breaking at times. A strange combination, but there you have it.