EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE
Miraculously overcoming grief through family, faith, and forgiveness.
Should You Watch It?
This is a powerful, beautifully crafted drama about grief that does not leave grief in the dark. The performances are top notch, and the film is strongly pro-forgiveness, pro-family, and pro-faith. It treats a painful subject with unusual heart and finds meaning in the ways hurting people comfort one another.
The cost is emotional. Oskar loses his father on 9/11, hides messages from him, lies to his mother, and struggles with fear and anger. The film also includes documentary footage of 9/11 and dreamlike images connected to his father’s death. Its language concerns are comparatively light, but parents should still consider how their children process the subject matter.
If your family can thoughtfully engage with grief and loss, this is worth seeing; younger children may need more parental discernment.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESNine-year-old Oskar is extremely close to his father, Thomas, who encourages him to search for a fictional missing New York City borough called the sixth borough. After Oskar loses his father on 9/11, he discovers a mysterious key in a manila envelope labeled Black.
Believing the key may lead to a message from his father, Oskar begins searching New York City for everyone with the name Black. The journey takes him toward people, places, and stories he would otherwise avoid.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is an exceptionally well-crafted movie, and the source review calls it one of the best movies ever. It hits all the emotional notes and handles its painful subject with brilliance.
Thomas Horn gives a brilliant performance as Oskar. Tom Hanks, Max von Sydow, and Sandra Bullock are incredible, while director Stephen Daldry does something very good with an already strong story. The film is stirring, profound, remarkable, uplifting, and full of heart.
The Worldview
The film presents a very strong Christian and moral worldview. It exalts family love, faith, forgiveness, compassion, and the ways people can help one another carry grief. Oskar encounters a church service where people pray for him in the name of Jesus. He says he does not believe, but Mrs. Black tells him that finding the answer to the key would be a miracle.
The movie also includes a reference to Stephen Hawking’s humanist book on the universe, memories of the Holocaust and its influence on Oskar’s family, and two exclamatory “Oh Gods.” Oskar lies as a way of denying his father’s death and coping with the pain, but he eventually asks for forgiveness. The film’s movement toward forgiveness and healing aligns with biblical morality.
The story’s deepest longing is for comfort, reconciliation, and an answer to suffering. Scripture calls believers to extend that same mercy: “forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you” (Colossians 3:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Very strong Christian, moral worldview with a young boy miraculously finding the object of a missing key with positive references to Jesus, as well as one reference to Steven Hawking’s humanist book on the universe, and memories of the Holocaust and its influence on the young protagonist’s family; six light fudged obscenities such as children make to fudge words and two exclamatory Oh Gods; documentary footage of 911 and dreamlike images of father falling from one of the towers and boy has a lot of fears; no sex; no nudity; no alcohol; no smoking or drugs; and, boy counts number of times he lies but he finally apologizes, lying is boy’s way of denying father’s death and trying to cope with the pain of that loss.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Oskar hides his father’s messages and begins to lie because he is overwhelmed by grief. Why can telling the truth be difficult when we are hurting, and how can a family make honesty safer?
Ephesians 4:25 · Proverbs 12:22The film shows people comforting one another through painful memories. What does it look like to “weep with those who weep” in your family or community?
Romans 12:15 · 2 Corinthians 1:3–4Oskar is told that finding the answer to the key would be a miracle. How should Christians think about miracles, unanswered questions, and God’s presence in suffering?
Psalm 34:18 · Romans 8:28Oskar eventually asks for forgiveness. What is the difference between feeling sorry and seeking forgiveness?
1 John 1:9 · Colossians 3:13The Final Word
This is a rare film that handles grief with remarkable craft, moral seriousness, and a great deal of heart. Its painful subject matter calls for discernment, but its movement toward faith, family, and forgiveness gives your family much to discuss. WORTH THE TRIP.
