Terribly loud, incredibly close

Production and year: USA, 2011 Original title: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Genre: Drama Director: Stephen Daldry Screenplay: Eric Roth Cast: Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow, Viola Davis, Zoe Caldwell Medical topic: Asperger’s syndrome, PTSD Description: The film tells the story of a nine-year-old boy with impaired social skills, obsessive interests, and other traits suggestive of Asperger’s syndrome. The film even mentions that Oscar (the main character) underwent testing for this condition, but the results were inconclusive. That’s not the end of the medical storyline. The boy’s father (Hanks) dies in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center while trying to call home on that fateful day. He leaves messages on the answering machine, which Oscar never shows to anyone. The boy experiences severe post-traumatic stress, withdrawing even further into his own world. During his father’s lifetime, he taught him to search for various items to solve the puzzles he set. So Oscar finds an envelope in the closet with the name “Black” and an old key. He sets out on a quest to find the lock the key fits, hoping that this will extend the time he spent with his father solving his final puzzle. The film also features an elderly man who, as a result of past events, has stopped speaking. What connects all these characters, and what is this film really about? Watch it for yourselves. 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close' is nominated for an Oscar in the Best Picture category. It is an adaptation of a highly acclaimed book. I haven’t had the chance to read it, but I’ve come across opinions that the director ruined the story’s potential and injected it with a lot of pathos and triviality. So what must the book be like?!