← Back to Reviews
in
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) N
A boy with Asperger's loses his father in 9/11 and goes on a quest to find where the mysterious key he found fits.
I don't think the film is supposed to be a satire but the boy reminds me of a modern snowflake and a future professional offendee. Just like our society his family chooses not to intervene with his mania but instead plays along to help him feel special. This goes to such lengths that I started to consider it funny.
Other than that it's pretty hollow drama that uses the recent tragedy as a background for its generic story. For the film it wouldn't matter if 9/11 was changed to any other real or fictional tragedy. It tip toes around the subject so carefully that it never even mentions who flew those planes or why - it's like a mystery that just happened and has no connection to anything (and drawing conclusions or expecting something to happen again is as crazy as the boy's fears).
Nothing in the film feels real (family dynamics, grief, the way strangers respond, etc.). I'm not sure if it tries to be like a fairy tale but the result is just fake. It made me feel nothing. Even the sympathy for the boy was dulled by him being so annoying and unlikable. At least the acting was good and I generally like this type of films (though I prefer more fantasy elements like I Kill Giants or Tideland).
Not the worst of the worst but quite bad. Amazed to see that this was best picture nominee.
A boy with Asperger's loses his father in 9/11 and goes on a quest to find where the mysterious key he found fits.
I don't think the film is supposed to be a satire but the boy reminds me of a modern snowflake and a future professional offendee. Just like our society his family chooses not to intervene with his mania but instead plays along to help him feel special. This goes to such lengths that I started to consider it funny.
Other than that it's pretty hollow drama that uses the recent tragedy as a background for its generic story. For the film it wouldn't matter if 9/11 was changed to any other real or fictional tragedy. It tip toes around the subject so carefully that it never even mentions who flew those planes or why - it's like a mystery that just happened and has no connection to anything (and drawing conclusions or expecting something to happen again is as crazy as the boy's fears).
Nothing in the film feels real (family dynamics, grief, the way strangers respond, etc.). I'm not sure if it tries to be like a fairy tale but the result is just fake. It made me feel nothing. Even the sympathy for the boy was dulled by him being so annoying and unlikable. At least the acting was good and I generally like this type of films (though I prefer more fantasy elements like I Kill Giants or Tideland).
Not the worst of the worst but quite bad. Amazed to see that this was best picture nominee.