Oskar (Thomas Horn) is convinced that his father (Tom Hanks), who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, has left a final message for him hidden somewhere in the city. Feeling disconnected from his grieving mother (Sandra Bullock) and driven by a relentlessly active mind that refuses to believe in things that can’t be observed, Oskar begins searching New York City for the lock that fits a mysterious key he found in his father’s closet. His journey through the five boroughs takes him beyond his own loss to a greater understanding of the observable world around him.
I still remember where I was on September 11th. I arrived home from an early morning high school sports practice and my mom told me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I do not remember much of school that day. The teachers finally gave up on their lessons for the day and turned on the televisions to let us watch this horrible event in American history unfold. Although it has been 10 years, September 11th is a tough subject to discuss.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a very well acted movie with amazing visuals. Many people are interested in seeing this movie because of Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. This is not their movie. They are hardly in it. This movie belongs to Thomas Horn, who plays Oskar. This young boy was fantastic in this movie. Oskar is a very socially awkward character. Many things frighten him. During the movie, you really get into his mind. Noise and sights are amplified. This would be a very difficult character to portray and Thomas Horn does well at it.
I will say, this movie was very difficult to watch. September 11th really affected so many people. What made this different from the others is that you are seeing this horrible event and its aftermath through the eyes and experiences of a child. This is a point of view we have not seen done on film until now. Take a lot of tissues to this movie and plan on needing some ice cream at the end. This movie is very sad.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close opens in theaters nationwide starting today. The film is rated PG-13. For more information about the film, you can go to the film’s official website.