Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Video: AVC @ 20.8 VBR, 2.40 AR
Audio: DTS-HD 5.1 English
DD 5.1 French / Spanish available
2 Hours, 9 Minutes
PG-13
The Movie 2.5 / 5
Our country is full of dates we will always remember; they are part of our social story giving us background into where we came from and where we are now. We celebrate Independence Day, the signing of the declaration. We pay homage to Pearl Harbor, we remember the assassination of JFK. These events help shape a nation and give the people that shared history that binds us together as a nation. The riches of American history have been embraced repeatedly through film, for us to remember our successes and to mourn the losses.
As I watched this film I thought about Don Draper’s speech from “Mad Men”, talking about nostalgia – “it’s delicate, but potent” Don tells us “it’s the pain from an old wound, a twinge from your heart, far more powerful then the memory on its own”. Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close is a film that worked to try and touch that – not really a nostalgia for a horrific event, but a desire for the time before it; to touch on the memories of a child as they make their way through the aftermath of their world changing around them.
We often think about nostalgia and films that are nostalgic as a way to think of things we want to remember, not horrific things. But a big piece of that nostalgia is the ‘pain of an old wound’ the way we think of how those important events change us, shape us, and make us into who we are.
Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close tries hard to convey this – a young boy, Oskar, seeks a way to live in a new world without his father; and he does so through his longing to turn back the clock, to find a way to relate to how the world has changed around him and how he can remember his dad. Oskar’s father shares with him a series of hobbies, including scavenger hunts that are aimed to get the young boy to interact with those around him. It’s not clear if he’s just shy or autistic, or what exactly the root of his problems talking to and dealing with people but it comes across as just a bit too convenient.
The film uses a flashbacks, Oskar’s memory of his moments with his father and memories of these shared moments to build those elements of nostalgia – and the enforcer is an answering machine, which contains the messages left by his father on “the worst day ever”, a series of calls with increasing despair at his situation as his death approaches.
Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close is one of those films that will turn some people off from the bet go – I happen to think quite a few people saw the title, the setup and decided before they had seen five minutes of it that they would hate it or that it would be terrible. I admit, there was part of me that wanted to hate this film, but frankly the film never gets to a point where I can develop that much feeling for it. It’s too bland, not saccharine to the sense that it becomes cloying and too easy to forget to leave an impression that inspires me to say it’s a bad film.
That’s faint praise though – that it’s not enough of anything for me to say that I loved it/hated it.. a film about a cultural event like 9-11 should have a bit more impact. Frankly if I cursed the screen and ranted about how bad it was, it would mean that there was at least something there to debate. But there isn’t. There isn’t enough to really praise and talk about either.
“There is the rare occasion where the public can be engaged beyond flash” was the pitch Mad Men used. But Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close is almost all flash.. and not enough to hold it together to make that connection that sucks us in.
That’s not to say that there aren’t solid performances. Viola Davis, Max Von Sydow and others turn in a set of great performances as the supporting cast. The settings and the cinematography are very, very good.. hues and tints are used in part to express the moods of not just our characters but the city and the nation and it’s done very effectively.
The Picture Quality: 4.5 / 5
Warner provides us a AVC 1080P encode with a VBR of 20.8Mbps. The encode is very, very good. Shots of scenery, landscape and close ups of the cast are extremely well done and it’s hard to ask more of a high definition transfer. That’s not to say that it’s perfect though. There are minor issues with black level that prevent this from getting a perfect, but it’s so good that most viewers won’t waste their time nitpicking minor faults.
The Audio Quality: 5 / 5
Films that are mostly dialog sometimes get underrated when their audio mix goes well. But the audio mix for Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close is amazingly effective. Dialog is crisp and clear, and ambient noises and off set cues fill up the room and help flesh out a great number of moments in the film. Rear channels and LFE are used fantastically in this DTS-HD 5.1 mix in that the small sounds of the city come to life giving Oskar’s journey that sense of realness. Whether it’s a bustling city crowd, a running jogger, background conversations or just the wind in the trees the audio mix helps provide the feeling of a city that is alive and waiting for Oskar to find it’s secret.
The Extras 4 / 5
Presented in the package is a BD-50 disc, a DVD disc, and what you need for an UltraViolet copy of the film.
The Making of Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close is a 20 Minute documentary that tells us how they chose the story and the use of a national tragedy to tell a personal story. I admit, I found this special to be far more grating then the film itself.
Finding Oskar – 8 Minutes – this is the story of how the director found the young actor who portrayed Oskar, and how others helped refine and polish his performance to what is presented on screen.
Ten Years Later – 11 Minutes - I will admit, this is the one extra I actually really liked. The story of Matthew McGinley, a person who lost his life in 9-11, and how a brief appearance of his picture on the memorial wall helped connect people with the film and how those memories still run deep with those who lost loved ones on that day.
Max Von Sydow’s Dialog with the Renter – this is a 44 Minute production diary upkept by von Sydow and is done in a way that really gets us inside the filmmaking process. There aren’t talking heads or quick cuts to explain the process, just a straight forward view of how it actually works. I found this extra to be a tad long, but exceptionally interesting, especially for those who may be interested in how a film actually gets made.
Summary:
The packaging is all here. A solid presentation with a great looking video, a great audio mix, and some decent extras give the buyer the feeling you bought something worth holding onto. The problem is the film itself just doesn’t have enough of a pull to make it something I’d have an easy time recommending. It’s not that the film is bad – it’s just too easily forgotten. It doesn’t provide enough weight to lead to a broader discussion and it isn’t bad enough to deserve a raging negative review. The film never aspires to reach those heights and so it’s not surprising it doesn’t achieve anything truly memorable.
If you like the film, this is as good a presentation as you can ask for; but if you haven’t seen it, I’d strongly recommend you rent first before you throw it on your shelf.
