Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

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Ok, so.. first of all, this is not a fresh new film. I've been hearing about it for quite a while. It didn't had any big fuss about it, but I knew it had something to do with 9/11 which kind of drove me off.

Anyway, 4 years later, well, recently actually, I came across the title again. Watched trailer. Turned to be, well, nothing that I hoped it to be. I was expecting some action packed thriller about 9/11, but it was actually sort of chichie "I lost someone very important in my life, but now it's very uplifting and life goes on and everything's beautiful" (does that even make sense?) kind of thing.



Ok, so, plot: this little boy, after his father dies in a 9/11, accidentally founds a mysterious key in the dad's closet. Now he's determined to find out what lock does it fits and maybe to get closer to his father.

Actors: Oh, Tom Hanks. I love Tom Hanks. I won't say how good of an actor he is. It's just, he can be anybody, no type-casting for him. Then Sandra Bullock. Errr, not a fan, but I must admit, the older she gets, the prettier she becomes. Then there's the main actor Thomas Horn. Pretty little boy. Sweet face, lovely voice, but I'll get to him later.

What I liked: First of all, I loved little games dad and son played, detailed scrap-books (I wish I had that much patience to do scrap-book of my own, but when I think that I might mess it up, by trying to draw a little something in the corner of a page, it just freaks me out ;S), maps, hiding places, solid order of things. I liked pretty people and photos the main kid took of the people he met.
I liked colours. Cinematography is like a drug to me, so I was very happy that this kind of emotional and touching film kept its colours bright and happy. Colours does a lot for a movie's mood, so kudos for cheering me the whole movie long.
I liked the feeling of family, of closeness between people, no matter if they were random strangers, the feeling of belonging. I even shed a tear here and there.
I liked how Oskar and his grandma, that lived across the street, were communicating with walkie-talkies and in morse code. Super cool.
I liked how the main character, Oskar, was self-aware, he was talking to the audience (not directly), at one point he started counting the lies he says, but he quickly dropped that idea.

What I didn't like: The flashbacks. I know they were essential for the whole story telling, but they weren't distinctive enough (the flashbacks were of events that happened one year ago, so no difference between characters appearance, clothing or anything, so kind of messy).
I do not like the child characters that do not act like children. They are way too smart for their age, they don't know how to have fun, they always think of something or have a project of some sorts. I don't like that. Those kind of characters lacks emotions, No major character development. The main character reminder me of Haley Joel Osment from "The Sixth Sense" or in "A.I".
Also it was really annoying that the 9-year-old Oskar, that is afraid of everything, like literally everything, goes and talks to strangers like it's nothing, but can't cross the bridge cuz "It's not safe". Uugh.



The title: so, my guess, "extremely loud" might stand for the Renter character in the movie. He is guessed to be Oskars' grandfather and he doesn't speak. He always carry a notebook with him, but honestly, I don't think he says/writes anything that significant. Or the fact, that when scared, Oskar always covers his ears, as he's trying to save himself from loud noises.
"Incredibly close" might be the fact, that in order to find the lock that will fit the key, boy goes on a little local trip to find someone who might have known his father and can help with his search. Or the fact, that the key owner was actually the first person he visited, but didn't know it until the very end.

Character development: I was in the middle of the movie, when I thought "oh god, you're all so plain and gosh...". But. At the end, what surprised me the most, was Sandra Bullcok's character. At the begging she was flat and totally chichie. Oh you're husband dies, so you gonna lock yourself in with a robe around you and you gonna cry for the rest of your life. But at the end, she revealed her own little search, that the viewers were not aware of. A nice surprise, as I said.



Sooo... IMDB rating is 6,9, I'd give it a little more than 7, I guess. It was based on the book, and those always make the best screen-plays. Story was a bit week, no major plot twist, foreshadowing was very mild, but kind of predictable at times. The ending, even in a way uplifting and happy, made me feel disappointed, as it was never explained what the key actually unlocks.

anyway, here's a quote I felt like was appropriated from the movie.