Extremely Loud & Incrediably Close

A precocious young boy called Oskar, possibly bordering on Asperger syndrome, loses his father, played by Tom Hanks, in 9/11 and in an effort to make sense of his loss and deal with his grief he becomes convinced that his father has left a final hidden message for him somewhere in the Big Apple. The premise sounds strange and unlikely to work but director Stephen Daldry does a really clever job of making the boy's search for his father's message both meaningful and compelling. Without being overly patriotic or sentimental the film really brings home the horror and damage of 9/11. The acting is terrific, especially Thomas Horn as Oskar. He really convinces as a very bright but confused young boy trying to make sense of a situation with no clear answers. Max Von Sydow is also excellent as a mysterious old man who teams up with Oskar for part of the search - he does not speak one line but his facial expressions and body language convey so much at times. There are some really powerful scenes, especially with Oskar and his mother, played to good effect by Sandra Bullock. An unusual film, but highly watchable. Well acted, well directed and well written. 8/10