Film: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Cast includes: Tom Hanks (The DaVinci Code), Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), John Goodman (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), Max von Sydow (Shutter Island), Viola Davis (Doubt), Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale)
Director: Stephen Daldry (The Reader)
Screenplay: Eric Roth (Munich); Novel: Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything Is Illuminated)
Genre: Drama (2011)
People fall… papers flutter… the sky is brilliantly blue. “There are more people alive now than in all of human history,” 11-year-old Oskar Schell tells us… so many that some day, there won’t be enough land to bury them all. “They’re burying an empty coffin,” says Oskar. Oskar’s dad, Thomas was in one of the towers on what Oskar calls “the worst day” (9/11). Some would say Oskar is an “odd child.” The tests for Asperger’s were inconclusive. Talking to people has never been easy for Oskar, which is why his dad sent him on so many reconnaissance missions that required talking to people. The greatest expedition of all was to find evidence of New York City’s 6th borough… which isn’t there any more. “If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth looking for.”
“Grandma, are you there?” When Oskar wants to talk with Grandma, he uses a walkie-talkie and looks for her light in the window. Sometimes he gets a glimpse of “The Renter” living in Grandma’s extra room. “If you ever see him, don’t say anything,” Grandma warns Oskar. On the morning of the worst day, Oskar heard the phone messages… “I’m ok. It’s pretty chaotic….” Oskar hid the answering machine before his mom could hear the messages. Oskar can’t talk to his mom about Thomas or the worst day. And as time goes by, he finds it harder and harder to talk with her about anything. “If the sun were to explode, it would be 8 minutes until we know about it. It’s been a year since my dad died, and I feel that my 8 minutes are running out.” When Oskar discovers a key hidden in Thomas's closet, he believes his dad meant for him to find the key and look for the lock it opens. It’s in an envelope labeled “Black,” so someone named Black must know about the key. There are 472 Blacks in the phone book. So armed with just the essentials… tambourine, gas mask, camera… Oskar’s search is daunting... especially for a kid who’s afraid of almost everything.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close takes us on a very unusual quest, seen through the eyes of an inconclusive “Aspie.” Yet Oskar’s inability to filter causes him to express what many of us may have thought but not verbalized. It’s fair to say this is an odd story about an odd kid, yet it’s extremely perceptive and incredibly moving… easily 3 Kleenexes! The filmmakers have done an excellent job adapting this surreal and somewhat absurd novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. Although they say it’s not about 9/11, it certainly revisits the emotions of loss and fear. Response to this film has been love/hate. Not everyone wants to revisit 9/11. Some find the plot totally improbable… which it certainly is. But Foer fans will appreciate the skillful way this unusual novel has been adapted for the screen. Foer is a controversial novelist, who regularly reinvents the boundaries of modern storytelling. Fans love his work; detractors don’t. Can we ever find a perfect film to express our feelings about 9/11? “If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth looking for.”
4 popped kernels
A surreal quest to hold on to a father’s memory and let go of a child’s fears
Popcorn Profile
Rated: PG-13
Primary Audience: Grown-ups
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Mainstream limited release
Mood: Both upbeat and somber
Tempo: Cruises comfortably
Visual Style: Nicely varnished realism
Character Development: Intense
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Thought provoking
