The 9/11 effect – There’s no denying that our country changed on September 11, 2001 and while some prefer to not remember, other’s go out of their way to. I fall in the last group, as to me, not remembering the fallen that day would be doing some sort of disservice to their familes. Nearly 3,000 people died that horrific day and while I may not have known a one of them, I choose not to forget by watching and reviewing nearly every film based on or around 9/11. So when I first saw the trailer for “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” the decision had already been made.
What was it about? For the most part, this story follows the emotional journey of one Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn), who lost his father Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks) on September 11th. A short time before that day, Oskar and his father began a scavenger hunt to which Oskar was given the task of finding everyday items in the confines of NYC. The idea would be that Oskar would learn about how each thing was important to find and why. This is at least what his father wanted or wished for, looking forward to seeing his son’s face at the end of the hunt. However, that day would never come after the events of 9/11, when Thomas Schell took a meeting at the World Trade Center that morning. After being let out of school early, Oskar goes home to wait for his mother and father, who both went to work that day. Once home, though, Oskar listens to six messages from his father, who he learns was not at his local jewelry store. Moments later, Oskar turns on the TV to see the footage of the Twin Towers engulfed in flames. Unable to fully grasp the situation, Oskar stood frozen in the middle of his living room, scared to move knowing his father was somewhere within those buildings. So, naturally when he watched the Twin Towers collapse right before his eyes on TV, he knew he would never see his father again. Struggling to accept this chain of events, Oskar turns to the only person he trusted to get him through this, his father, by finishing the scavenger hunt they began only days earlier resulting in a story we all should take pride in.
Who was in it? Before you get excited about seeing Tom Hanks, he was only in this film a short time. Sure, he made his impact during that time, but this was not his film. This was Thomas Horn’s film, a kid who believe it or not, was discovered taking down opponents on the game show Jeopardy during Kids Week in 2010. Months later, he was starring in his first film with Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Max von Sydow and Sandra Bullock. Wow, talk about striking the iron while it’s hot and clearly Horn was, as his performance shined through this wonderfully written script by Eric Roth. I was truly impressed with this 14-year-old kid, who is already on his way to some pretty cool things if he chooses to accept them. And had he starred in any film before this, I bet he would have been nominated. Instead he was snubbed in favor of actors we know, which is a shame when you figure how involved this role as Oskar was. Balancing all the emotion is not easy to do for a polished actor, much less a kid fresh of answering a few questions right on TV in front of Alex Trebek. It was neat to see and I bet a joy for the veteran cast to witness up close and personal.
Careful eyes, one heart – Say what you want about stories from 9/11 being pushed to the big screen, but to me, the more the merrier. It’s rare to find anything this real and utterly tragic, but great stories can be found within chaos. And to me, that’s what this film proves, as I couldn’t get enough of this human story carefully directed by Stephen Daldry. Sure, it’s tough to watch and for some, probably impossible, but I liked it for everything it was and wasn’t. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer, I didn’t know what we would get when you figure just how many of these 9/11 stories get pushed under the rug without you knowing. In fact, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” is the first film this closely related to 9/11 that I have seen nominated for Best Picture, telling us the tide might finally be turning. I certainly hope it is, for I could stand to see more tragic, yet uplifting stories like this in the future. Because at the end the day, there are few events within our country’s history that can match what this was and still is to so many people. And I think that’s why we see stories like this slowly start to leak out, so I’m encouraged that Eric Roth and Stephen Daldry were able to sell this incredible story from Foer ‘s book as a major motion picture to Warner Bros.
Bottom Line – For all that has been said and done since 9/11/01, the one thing that stands true is how stronger our country became afterward. And I think it’s in that spirit that a book like “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” gets made into a film, and I’m glad, for its been a whiole since I was ‘moved’ this much in the theater.
B+
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