Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a tragedy-drama film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer.

The film begins with a body that seems to be falling from the sky, referencing that it is one jumper out of many who jumped from the World Trade Center on September 11. Oskar Schell is introduced as the son of Thomas Schell, and during Thomas' funeral, Oskar recalls his memories leading to this moment.

Thomas and Oskar play a scavenger hunt that gives Oskar the task of finding ordinary objects throughout New York City. The scavenger hunt begins at a swing set in Central Park, where Thomas recalls swinging when he was a child. Oskar, however, is scared of swings due to his fear of jumping from them and falling to the ground. Thomas intends the game to be a learning experience for his son so that he can learn that "if things were easy to find, they wouldn't be worth finding". On September 11, Oskar is let out of school early while his mother is at work. When Oskar gets home, he finds 6 messages on the phone from his father, saying that he is in the World Trade Center on the 105th floor of the North Tower. Oskar soon learns of the Twin Towers attack by seeing footage on the TV news. As the Twin Towers collapse, Oskar falls to the floor, knowing that his father had been killed.

A few weeks after September 11, Oskar confides in his grandmother and they become close throughout their time of depression following Thomas's death. Oskar's relationship worsens with his mother since she can't explain why the World Trade Center was attacked and his father died. Oskar tells his mother he wishes it had been her in the building rather than his father, and she responds, "I wish the same thing."

The film is directed by Stephen Daldry starring Thomas Horn as Oskar Schell, Tom Hanks as Thomas Schell, Sandra Bullock as Linda Schell, Max von Sydow as The Renter, Zoe Caldwell as Oskar's grandmother, Viola Davis as Abby Black, John Goodman as Stan the Doorman, Jeffrey Wright as William Black and Hazelle Goodman as Hazelle Black.

The film had a limited release in the United States on December 25, 2011 and a wide release on January 20, 2012. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the film has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Max von Sydow