MOVIE REVIEW

What does it really mean to say something is "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"? The title alone sparks interest and curiosity from anyone who hears it. People planning on seeing this film are most likely wondering what it will be about in relation to this striking description.

After seeing the movie, however, audience members may still feel in the dark about the meaning. Even the title is ironically too complex to prepare viewers for what they will be seeing.

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" is the story of a young boy's determination to hold on to the memory of his father in any way possible after he was killed in the Sept. 11 tragedy.

After watching the trailer, which pulls at the heartstrings (and tear ducts) in just its few short minutes, I expected the movie to have a similar feel. I prepared myself to cry over the loss of a family's father, to sympathize with a mourning little boy and to watch as time heals disasters that seem unbearable. After seeing the movie, though, I realized it was quite different than what I had anticipated.

The film begins with a slew of heartwarming, father-son moments that are almost painful to watch when knowing that they will soon be shattered by death. Young and intelligent Oskar Schell, played masterfully by Thomas Horn, looks to his father Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks) for guidance, knowledge and as an ultimate role model.

Their activities are not the typical interactions between a father and his 11-year-old son — but that just speaks to the uniqueness of Oskar (who is referenced to have been tested for Asperger's syndrome — a form of autism — although no conclusive diagnosis was made). The two hold a bond very real to the audience, making it all the more traumatic when Thomas is torn from Oskar's life.

Sandra Bullock plays Linda Schell, who, while before her husband's death was warm and pleasant, loses touch with her son after her husband is no longer there to hold the family together.

The movie is clearly filled with a capable cast and talented acting. Horn especially impresses with his portrayal of the troubled boy desperate to understand the inexplicable. But perhaps what surprised me most about the movie was the fact that the young Schell is not particularly likable, as much as viewers want him to be. This may be because he is held captive by his fears, obsessions and need for logical and cerebral answers to unanswerable questions.

I wanted to sympathize with him, pity him and admire his strength in handling his father's death, but the feelings promoted by the character are much different. He is emotionless and cold-hearted at times, and at one point tells his pain-stricken mother that he wishes she would have died in the building instead of his father. Granted, Thomas can't be compared to a typical boy because of his affliction, but there were definitely parts of the film in which I decidedly disliked the young boy.

Despite the plot and characters being different than I had expected, the film still gives an incredibly realistic insight into the reality of how Sept. 11 affected so many families with loss and lack of explanation. Thomas and his mother strive to understand their disaster and make sense of what has happened, but it only brings them more heartache. It is disturbing to see how much the tragedy tore apart families and changed lives forever.

The movie is complex and almost scattered in the plot, but I think it serves as an honest portrayal of the reality of one person's tragic experience in loss. The audience is left a bit confused and without closure in a lot of areas of the story and possibly even with more questions than in the beginning. The film still provokes the thoughts and feelings that it was made to, just not in the cookie-cutter predictable way some viewers may expect.

Even though I personally am not a fan of cliff-hanging endings, it fits the story line, and for some may be just the ending they wanted to see. Perhaps some events in our lives never have the closure we so desperately seek.

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" is rated PG-13 and is showing at Regal Manor 16, MoviE-town and Penn Cinema theaters.