September 11, 2001 is a day that changed the world. Thousands of lives ended, families were torn apart, and the course of nations changed. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is the fictional story of one family. Oskar (Thomas Horn) is a 10 year old boy who probably has Asperger’s Syndrome. His father, Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks), is a dedicated father, who uses puzzles, and a form of geo-questing to help his son overcome his fears. When Thomas is killed on 9/11 Oskar’s disability only gets worse. A year after his father died, Oskar finds a key among his father’s belongings. Believing it was a quest his father had prepared for him, Oskar sets out to find the matching lock.
While aspects of the story are ludicrous, it is nonetheless a good story. The real strength of the movie is in the performances by the cast. Thomas Horn delivers a spectacularly emotional performance that is even more amazing when you consider his prior acting experience consisted of a grasshopper in a school play of James and the Giant Peach. This kid has amazing talent and a lot of potential. Max von Sydow manages to give a spectacular performance without ever speaking a word. It takes a tremendous amount of talent as an actor to give that kind of performance with just body language and expressions.
This movie is a bit emotionally draining. I would not recommend it for a date night, or for young kids. It is however a great movie to watch purely for the enjoyment of film. The PG-13 rating is quite appropriate. I give it a 9 / 10.
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