Cast: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, Max Von Sydow
Director: Stephen Daldry
Ratings: 2/5
Dealing with death and more on a very superficial level...
By Priyanka Ketkar
One of the most tragic incidents in the history occurred in the US, almost 10 years back. The impact of it is still "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" to everyone affected by it. But Stephen Daldry's extremely artificial and incredibly tactless adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's novel fails to bring out any real emotions or bring us any closer to this unique version of that ill-fated day.
Eleven-year-old Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) is left to deal with his father's death in the Twin Towers. Although Thomas (Tom Hanks) did not work there, he was attending a meeting in the Towers on 9/11. While his wife Linda (Sandra Bullock) grieves in her own way, it's Oskar, a youngster with high intelligence but eccentric and obsessive behaviors – a form of Asperger's – that she worries about. Oskar, who is still unable to come to terms with his father's death, finally enters his room one fine day. Here he finds something that he assumes is a clue left by his dad for him to solve the mystery.
After an extensive research, he sets off to unravel this mystery with a tambourine to soothe himself, and a bag-pack with all the necessities. On his way to solving this mystery, he is faced with many revelations about himself, his life and his family. He fears subways, hates loud noises but appears to be very comfortable in the company of strangers. He has many adventures en route and meets many people only to find more sympathy and more bonds in the world which has buckled under this sorrowful incident.
There is a large discrepancy between what it tries to convey and what it manages to convey. The acting is superb but appears frantic. There is too much that has to be said be too little time to do so. Young Thomas Horn has shown a remarkable promise in his role but that's about it. His mother loves him a lot and cares for him and keeps a track of him, but is unaware that young Oskar is punishing himself every day. She fails to find out the reason for his disturbed state of mind. This is highly unacceptable and unbelievable. The grandfather's track adds a few dramatic moments but it appears forced than natural.
The music and sound effects are really good and so is the picturisation. But good acting and a good-looking film cannot save this plot-less film from drowning.
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" focuses on the story of a grieving child making his way through a city that knows his sorrow. Mixing the horror of 9/11 with a cutesy story about a boy's unlikely quest just comes off as crass. Throwing a tragic old man on top — to no obvious purpose, really — depreciates things further.