Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close Review

19th Jun 2012

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read for a long time. It’s on my long form to do list and I just never seem to find the time to get round to it. The announcement of it being made into a film both filled me with joy and dread. Joy that I would be able to see it and understand what it is about it that means it has been recommended to me so much and dread that once I’ve watched it would I ever get round to reading it and would it cloud my vision of the book if I did? I always seem to falter over film adaptations of books because more often than not they can’t match up to the much loved image in my head of the story and surely that’s the point of reading, no? Anyway, the check disc came in and I was keen to try and allay my fears.

My overriding feeling for the first ten minutes or so was just how irritating I found Oskar (Thomas Horn), our young protagonist. “Oh god,” I thought, “how am I going to be able to cope with an entirely feature when all I want to do is give this child a shake?” After this though, he quickly came into his own and I found myself cheering him on through his entire reconnaissance mission and positively beaming with pride when he swings so high at the end.

For those of you that have managed to miss this movie, Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close is the story of a nine year old boy that finds a key hidden away in his father’s possessions after he is tragically killed on September 11^th in the World Trade Center. Oskar decides that this must be a sign from his deceased patriarch (Tom Hanks) and begins a mission to find out what the key opens. This is a child, which despite being scared of pretty much everything is actually wise beyond his years. He exudes this odd kind of self-control that I’ve never possessed never mind as a nine year old child.

As Oskar tries to cling to the memory of his father you can’t help but feel the heartbreak his mother (Sandra Bullock) is going through. Not only has she lost her husband but her only child is pushing her away. Not only is she grieving for her missing husband she is also grieving for her lost son despite him still being there. I think this makes the big reveal that she knew what Oskar was doing all the more relieving and comforting. You genuinely feel, finally and eventually, the two of them are going to be ok.

When I put this film on I was expecting a proper tearjerker, and I’m not embarrassed to admit it doesn’t take much to set me off, but I didn’t have to reach for the tissues at any point. Now, I can’t decide if I’m disappointed by this or not, maybe I was just distracted and I’d feel different on a second viewing. Although, I don’t think I enjoyed it enough to warrant a second watch. It really is an excellent film; I’m just disappointed that it didn’t elicit a more emotional reaction from me.

I think I’m going to have to read the book and then give it another viewing to see if that alters my viewpoint.