Drama
United States of America
Oskar, played by Thomas Horn, is a highly intelligent and socially awkward nine-year-old boy living in New York City. He is still grieving the loss of his father, Thomas Schell, who died in the September 11th terrorist attacks. Oskar was very close to his father, who often told him stories, played scavenger hunt games with him, and encouraged him to be curious about the world.
One day, while exploring his father's closet, Oskar finds a small envelope inside a vase that contained a key with the word "Black" written on it. He believes that his father left the key for him and that it must have a specific purpose. His search to find the lock that the key fits becomes an obsession that takes him on a journey throughout the city's five boroughs.
Along the way, Oskar meets a wide range of people who all have their own stories and struggles. He encounters a mute man, played by John Goodman, who owns a locksmith shop and helps him decipher the meaning of the word "Black". He also meets a woman, played by Sandra Bullock, who is Thomas's widow and is still dealing with her own grief and guilt.
As Oskar's scavenger hunt progresses, he begins to learn more about his father's life before he died. He discovers that his father had been trying to reconnect with his own estranged father, played by Max von Sydow, who is a mute elderly man living in a retirement home. Oskar eventually finds the lock that the key fits but realizes that the truth about his father and his death is much more complicated than he had anticipated.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a moving film about loss, grief, and the power of human connection. It was directed by Stephen Daldry and adapted from a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. The film was released in 2011 and received mixed reviews, but was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards that year.
