A Journey of Life and Love

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From my perspective, I would describe the film 「Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close」 a very special and profound one, totally different from any movies I』ve watched.
The reason is mainly that I read the book first in 2012, long before I got the chance to have a look at the film. And I already had the picture of this heart-shaking story, which is quite unlike what’s written in the book. For instance, in the original book, it lists many letters from Oskar’s grandmother and his father, but they』re not in the movie. However, just the film itself has a lot to talk about.
Adapted from the bestseller by Jonathan Safran Foer, it is a story that directly shows the young mind of Oskar, an inventive eleven year-old boy who discovers a key in his father’s box and starts his extraordinary journey of finding its lock.
As a matter of fact, Oskar is different from other kids, who has some difficulties living a good life. He is very quiet, even when 「the worst day」 came, and the terrible thing happened, he never cried or talked to his family members about it. He is so talented and capable that he even makes his top wardrobe a place where he could remember his dear father, and he keeps the last phone massages of this father without telling any one else, not even his mother. It’s extremely hard for a young boy to bear this grief and sudden shock, no wonder when he finally finds out that the key has nothing to do with his father, he gets so angry and frustrated.
It’s easy to understand the role his father plays in his early life, and how this key, which he believes is the only connection with his father after he was gone, weighs in his mind. When facing this sorrow situation, some talks to get relieved, while others keep it to themselves. Either way, one need to give full vent to the despair somewhere. And in this case, the little boy couldn』t bear it anymore and finds that only his family, whether complete or not, is the only warm and safe place for him to go through it and let go of it. He said to himself that 「Now no one will ever have to listen to [these massages] like I did.」 Little Oskar thinks he is the only one who endures it all the time, but little does he know that wherever he goes, his mother always gets there first to make sure Oskar will not be declined ruthlessly and tries her best to keep him safe. One big guy, Hector Black, even cries and hugs his mother twice with no words.
Moreover, he tries to focus on the key and ignores the fact that he wouldn』t accept his father’s death on that horrible day. And because of it, he cannot truly let it go. He thought 「Every time I left out department, I became a litter lighter because I was getting closer to Dad.」 To handle this tough situation, his mom also makes great efforts.
I am deeply touched by the scene that the mother and the son both lay down on the floor with a closed door in the middle. Oskar whispered: 「I love you,」 which makes his mom burst into tears. The boy is much more mature than his peers. They both know that the other is behind the door, but no one breaks the silence. It’s the kind of beauty that make us feel how nice to have a family to support us and to love others.
The tough days of this family is obvious, but the reason it’s so remarkable is, in my view, that the memory stirs in many 紐約ers and Americans. No doubt the huge influence of 9/11 has on every one who really experienced it. And as time passes, the grief in many people finally get 「somewhere」 to go out in this movie. Also, we can see how ordinary citizens face the issue from it. Oskar meets many kinds of people, some are optimistic, while most of them has their own life, which cannot be simply classified. However, these special experiences change Oskar in some way. And of course, these people he meet have also been changed. How nice to see those faces when they get Oskar’s letter in the end! Among all of them, I』d like to mention the women who ignored both the mother and the son before. After reading it, she tears the letter into pieces with tears in her eyes. This explains why she rejects them firmly at first. The reason may be because she also bears the same grief. But after this special visit, she gets her 「somewhere.」
In the end, Oskar eventually admitted that his father 「is never coming back.」 And truly 「let it go.」 The joyful thing is his father did leave him something, and he finds it successfully in the back of the swing in Central Park. He feels the existence of his father once more, but he will never be afraid and live his life with a new start.
I always admire the saying: 「Life goes on」, especially when a love of us leaves forever. Things like this happen. What’s important is not how we handle it, but when we understand that it’s us who control our own lives.