Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

ATTENTION: MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED!!

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

January 28 2012

This movie was nominated for 2 Oscars including best picture so I was very excited to see it. I try to see as many of the nominated movies before awards season.

My opinion:

4.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

4.5 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my personal entertainment

My suggestion: try to get to the theatre

The gist: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a movie about a young boy, Oskar, and his relationship with his father. His father dies suddenly during the 9/11 attacks and Oskar is left in a very confusing and heart wrenching state of grief over his death. Oskar accidentally finds a key in a blue vase in his father’s closet exactly one year after his passing and decides it is a clue left intentionally by his father. Oskar embarks on a detailed search to find the lock the key belongs to and in turn he hopes to feel closer to his father by completing his final treasure hunt. In the meantime, his Mom is trying to cope with her own grief, while being there for her son. There is a strange older man living across the street with Oskar’s Grandmother who becomes Oskar’s confidant. Although, Oskar doesn’t find exactly what he is looking for at the end of his journey, he realizes how incredible the journey was and reconnects with his mother.

I absolutely LOVED this movie. It was the perfect mix of tears mixed with humor. The young boy who played Oskar, Thomas Horn is wonderful in the role. From the beginning you can see that Oskar is not your typical child (it appears that he has some form of autism) and that his Dad is really the only one who can communicate with Oskar on a level that he can understand. When Oskar’s father is killed during the 9/11 attacks it is one of the most heart wrenching moments in the film. What makes it even more so is that Oskar takes on the burden of keeping a secret from everyone about the day his father was killed.

Oskar is also close with his Grandmother who lives in the building across the street and he notices that there is a strange older man living there. As the story unfolds, Oskar meets this man, played flawlessly by Max von Sydow. He is a mute who writes out all his thoughts and responses on paper. Oskar begins to confide in this older man and they become unlikely allies and friends.

This movie will touch your heart and soul and make you grateful for your family. I went home immediately and hugged my husband after this movie. If you don’t have time to see this in the theatre, it is a definite must for a DVD movie night.