Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Max von Sydow. Poster property of Scott Rudin Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures.
The Oscars are next week and one of the movies that is nominated for the prestigious Best Picture award is Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which is based on the 2005 Jonathan Safran Foer novel.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close focuses on the story of Oskar Schell (played by the brilliant Thomas Horn) as he searches for an item that belongs to a New Yorker with the last name Black. This item can be unlocked by a key, which he found in his late father’s (Tom Hanks) clothing. However, Oskar cannot ask his father due to the fact that is dad was died during 9/11. Oskar began a massive expedition to find the one of the 417 people living in New York City area with the last name of Black and figure out if the key means anything to them.
This two-hour and nine-minute drama featured an impeccable screenplay, outstanding acting performances, brilliant cinematography and a moving score that collaborated to make one terrific film.
One of the numerous successes that were part of the movie was Eric Roth’s screenplay. He brilliantly adapted Foer’s novel into a powerful emotional drama that helped the audience understand the characters’ motives from Oskar’s mission to honor his late father to Oskar’s mother Linda (Sandra Bullock)’s struggle to reconnect with her son. In addition, Roth also perfectly peppers 9/11 footage into the film that adds historical value into this film.
The acting ensemble was incredible but out of the many actors that were part of this ensemble there were only two that will stand out to film viewers. 15-year-old Thomas Horn, who played Oskar, stole the film because of his ability to connect with the audience and his perfect chemistry with every superstar member of the cast including Hanks, Bullock, Viola Davis and other standout, Max von Sydow. The 82-year-old Swedish actor played the mysterious mute Renter, who helps Oskar out on his quest. von Sydow’s performance was critically acclaimed and he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
The final crucial two elements of the film were the brilliant cinematography and Alexandre Desplat’s moving film score. Both of these components perfectly weaved the film together and was featured in several crucial scenes that included Oskar’s explanation of his paranoia and Linda’s following on her son’s journey.
Final Thoughts and Grade: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is one of the finest dramas that this author had a chance to watch. Thomas Horn did a marvelous job carrying a majority of this film on his shoulders and this author strongly believes that he has a bright career ahead of him. You should definitely watch this film before next week’s Oscars. A
