To say that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close tackles a lot of sensitive issues is probably the understatement of the year. Yes, it's about 9/11 and its aftermath. Yes, its about a child with Asperger's coming of age and learning to accept who he is after the death of his father. And yes, it asks it's American audience to see this particularly sensitive version of events through an unconventional lens. It was difficult to watch this emotionally challenged young boy try to understand what had happened to his father. He simply could not fathom the idea that there is not an answer to every question in life. Instead he pours every ounce of energy he has into completing the impossible task of finding the lock to a key he found in his father's belongings. It's the only way he could give meaning to the situation but what he did not expect was to build relationships with the people he met along the way. It is in these encounters that he grows into someone that his father would be proud of which is really all he wanted in the first place.
Alarming, emotional, and a bit uncomfortable, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close did not find a sweet spot with viewers and critics like all the other nominated films did this year. This isn't surprising considering the subject matter and the way in which the story is told. It isn't easy to forget some of the things this precocious child does and says but there is a palpable undercurrent of forgiveness and understanding. Based on its critical reception, I doubt this will be much of a threat to the rest of the pack. Still, I do feel it is worth seeing as it asks a lot of its viewer but gives back almost as much as it takes.
No comments:
Post a Comment