Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Oskar Schell is eleven years old and his loses his father in the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York. 9/11 has become a sensitive topic, and rather difficult to tackle in movies.

Oskar finds an envelope in his father’s closet, with the word ‘Black’ written on it and a key inside. What could this lead to? He decides it has to be a name, since it is written with a capital letter. Oskar finds every Black in the New York phonebook to see if he can uncover the mystery. 

While it is a seemingly charming premise, against a backdrop of a tragedy, I was left annoyed and frustrated. What is a mystery though is how this was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards!

Rating: 2 outta 5.