As a piece of narrative fiction, Stephen Daldry’s “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” could use some work, but as a vehicle to deliver many heavy-handed emotional punches it is quite a success. Based on the 2005 novel of the same name, the film tells the story of young Oskar Schell, who is on a quest to solve a mystery left behind by his father, who died in the attacks on 9/11. Armed with a key and a list of names, he travels through New York City trying to find the pieces to the puzzle.
There are many moments in the movie where emotions run high, and all but the most stone-hearted will find themselves moved at least a little bit. It uses the cultural scarring of Sept. 11 as a shortcut to the emotional impact that walks a fine line between exploitative and heartfelt. Unfortunately, the moments in between are a bit hollow, and drag on. The movie plods forward rather mundanely through Oskar’s quest, until the next scene of emotional catharsis. The scenes are thinly written, and attempts to be quirky and insightful come off as pretentious and odd -a musing on why they don’t build underground sky scrapers to house the dead so they can be visited any time springs to mind. The story plods forward with no strong sense of direction or progression, occasionally throwing in some character development in an emotional outburst.
The performances are where the movie shines, hammering in the emotion that is thrown at the audience. I’m not sure if Thomas Horn’s portrayal of Oskar is necessarily the “star making” performance some have lauded it as, but when he isn’t over acting, he brings a stark intimacy to the character that makes it hard not to feel for him, despite how detached the character is. Tom Hanks plays Oskar’s father competently enough, being both charming and nurturing for his limited screen time. Sandra Bullock turns in her best performance in at least a decade as Oskar’s mother, coping both with the death of her husband and the realization he was the only thing she had in common with her son.
Max von Sydow is the real standout of the film with his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the mysterious Renter, who lives with Oskar’s grandmother and has been shocked into silence by a previous trauma in his life. He manages to portray an incredible depth of character and emotion in his stark silence and note writing that isn’t seen very often in modern cinema.
“Extremely Loud” is competent from a technical standpoint. The setting of New York has been done so much in film that it’s hard to make a visual impact, but cinematographer Chris Menges manages to make the movie look good regardless. The score sneaks under the radar, doing its job but not making any impact. The editing stands out in several sequences, piecing together some beautifully assembled montages of Oskar’s journey and emotional struggles.
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” may have been an underdog Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, but I don’t think it’s going to stick around very long. Its lack of true depth or an interesting story will endear it only to those who are seeking a tear-jerker or have some fascination with the aftermath of 9/11.
-Noah Diamond-Stolzman
