EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE (Stephen Daldry, Warner Bros., 2011)

There are times when I get super busy and watching films gets put on the back burner.  There are times when I'll have a particular film from Netflix for weeks, sitting by my TV collecting dust.  I've had my copy of EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE (Stephen Daldry, Warner Bros., 2011) for weeks now and by coincidence happened to decide to watch it on 9-11.  It wasn't until after watching it that I realized the date, so maybe there were some strange karmic energy going around that day.  Regardless of when you watch the film it is a very fine film, obviously packed with emotion and feeling yet not too heavy handed.  It has some good technical work and the acting is superlative.  And still something put it in my head to watch it today.

Watching the film the first thing that strikes me is the quality of the narrative.  Without relying on a heavy handed approach, the film follows Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) as he attempts to cope with the loss of his father during the attacks.  Oskar's journey is a painful one but one that must be taken.  And the narrative to the film does his story justice, giving us a full and complete journey for our young protagonist.  The character development for Oskar is outstanding and the supporting characters all add dimensions to the overall narrative.  The writing is good, never heavy handed nor manipulative.  The narrative proves strangely cathartic for the viewer, especially after so much time has passed.  Everything about the writing for this film is superb.

The writing isn't the only superlative detail of the film.  The performances turned in by the cast are all excellent and this all starts with Horn.  The kid is a revelation, alternating between maniacally excitable to immature and petulant, oftentimes within the same scene.  His relationship to his father Thomas (Tom Hanks) is realistic with genuine moments, like the scene where Oskar refuses to ride the swing.  Some of the best scenes come when Oskar is with The Renter (Max von Sydow).  Playing a mute, von Sydow is remarkable and the two share some touching screen moments.  The rest of the cast is good in their roles from Viola Davis to Jeffrey Wright and Sandra Bullock.  All of them turn in fine performances.

I have mentioned before that I particularly admire cinematography that is done in an unusual and innovative manner and this film has that.  There are numerous interesting shots throughout the film, with the director and cinematographer (Chris Menges) placing their camera in some inventive and interesting places.  Doing this gives the film character in my opinion and adds to the depth the fine acting and great narrative are already creating.

Stephen Daldry has created a nice film, one that has a subject matter that if not dealt with correctly could appear manipulative and forced.  The film is powerful at times yet never heavy handed.  At no time do you feel like your feelings are being pushed onto you.  The film is a good way to let your feelings out, though watching it on the day I did may have had a factor in that.  I really liked this film a lot and only wished I hadn't waited so long to view it.  I highly recommend it to anyone!