Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

You really ought to read the book, because the book is phenomenal. A mystery unraveled through the voice of an extremely bright and incredibly unique child, written in memories and snippets, and even including poignant photographs as clues. It’s brilliant. And I’m not a fan of the author, Jonathan Safran Foer. He just happened to write what I believe is a deeply touching, one-of-a-kind book.

So how does the movie fare? Well, that all depends on how you handle images and reminders of September 11th. For some, it’s still too soon. I once felt that way. When the first films about 9/11 came out, I thought it was in poor taste. But it’s been over ten years since that tragic day, and if you take anything away from this review, please take away this: this movie is not about September 11th. It’s about what happens to a little boy named Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) after his father, Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks) passes away that day. It’s about a mystery the obsessive nine-year-old urgently needs to solve in order to heal his heart. And in a way, it’s about how all the strangers he meets are healed and touched by his spirit.

Here’s the basic plot. While snooping around in his father’s closet, Oskar discovers a key in a tiny envelope marked with the name “Black.” In a desperate move to connect with his deceased father and find meaning in a life he now fears, Oskar turns the mystery of the key into his final “Reconnaissance Mission,” a game he and his dad used to play. Oskar pours through the Yellow Pages and searches for all the people with the last name Black, then organizes and maps out his mission to an obsessive-compulsive tee.

Is this story realistic? Not really. I mean, what inquisitive little boy would actually walk miles upon miles through New York City by himself if he didn’t have to? And what mother in her right mind would allow her little boy to ring the doorbells of strangers without the presence of a legal guardian and a Cub Scouts order form?

But Oskar Schell is no ordinary kid and his mother, played by Sandra Bullock, is also at wit’s end, suffering depression after her husband’s death. Oskar is wise beyond his years; he’s seen and heard things that have turned him into an anxious mess that can’t go anywhere without the tambourine – yes, I mean the musical instrument – that calms him down. But he’s also a self-proclaimed pacifist with his own business card and a mystery he’s absolutely determined to solve, even when it appears that the answer he is looking for will never come.

The high point of this movie is The Renter (Max von Sydow), a stranger that lives in Oskar’s grandmother’s apartment. The old man communicates only through the “yes” and “no” tattooed on his hands and by scribbling a few stray words on a notepad. And yet somehow, he becomes Oskar’s best friend and tags along on his missions. Without speaking, Max von Sydow communicates such genuine sadness and concern for the boy that it brought it tears to my eyes. However, I’m not sure if the tears were 100% von Sydow’s acting, or if it was just the fact that it’s hard not to turn into a blubbering mess when encountered with this beautiful story.

All this being said, there’s no real need to run out and see Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close at the theatre. It’s not visually stunning and it’s a definite tear-jerker that may prove just a tad lacking for those who have not read the book. So my advice is read the book. If you really feel you’ve got to see these characters in the flesh, then Netflix it in a few month’s time. But in my opinion, the depth of the book, and especially the idiosyncrasies in Oskar’s character, will touch you much more within the pages of the novel.