Extremely Loud &n Incredibly Close - 4 smiles

Although “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” is heart-wrenchingly difficult to watch, it’s also very good, dealing with life’s most important issues and building layers of sadness and joy. Based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, director Stephen Daldry has fashioned an emotionally powerful story about the effects of 9/11 on a boy who loses his father, clearly illustrating his pain and confusion. And although 9/11 is a critical element of the film, the storyline takes place a year beyond that fateful day. Critics will dismiss this movie as a manipulative tear-jerker aiming for Oscar recognition. But that does a disservice to this compelling production. And while Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock are the biggest names in the cast, they fill secondary roles. In fact, Hanks’ character is dead by the time the movie starts and we see him only through flashback. Max von Sydow, in a role that deserves recognition, has more screen time than either of them. The film belongs to young Thomas Horn, a former Jeopardy champion who is making his film debut. His Oskar Schell must carry every scene and he is equal to the enormous task set for him.

Oskar is not a normal nine year-old. He’s articulate and intelligent beyond his years, but does not relate well to people, has trouble controlling his emotions and is frightened by just about everything. His father, Thomas Schell (Hanks), believed Oskar to be afflicted with Asperger’s, but tests were inconclusive. We see New York City, circa 2001-2002, through Oskar’s eyes. When 9/11 occurs and Oskar’s father, who is on the 105^th floor of the north Tower, does not come home from a meeting, he does leave six answering machine messages. One year later, while rummaging in Thomas’ closet, Oskar discovers a key hidden in a vase. He believes that by embarking on a quest to discover the lock that matches the key, he will learn something important and keep a part of his father with him. He travels take him to all five Burroughs of New York City. He is accompanied by his grandmother’s lodger (von Sydow), an old man who has lost the ability to speak. In spite of the impossibility of his task, Oskar tackles it with relish, using lessons taught by his father to carry him though the difficult aspects.

For Oskar, the destination of his task is not as important as the journey. In undertaking it, he learns things about himself, his father, and his fellow citizens. He is met with kindness, pity, rudeness and indifference. And he sees his mother and the lodger with different eyes. And, most important, he learns to confront his own fears and overcome them in ways that would make his father proud. When a director decides to manipulate the emotion of his audience, that would seem to be a valid stylistic choice. However, when the viewer notices he is being manipulated, the director has gone too far. With “Extremely loud & Incredibly Close,” Daldry manages to touch the heart without being obvious and he has created an exceptional film. 12/25/11