"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

September 11, 2001: it's a day none of us of this generation will forget anytime soon ... our own Pearl Harbor, and right in our front yard--New York City. I can still remember sitting on the couch that morning, watching the news, barely breathing, practically motionless as I listened to the reports, shocked that it was actually happening here in the U.S. of A.

I was in Anchorage, Alaska that day ... a whole continent away. The whole day left me speechless, reeling and (like most of us) very much in shock. Even with all I felt and experienced, I can hardly imagine what it must have felt like to be a resident of New York that day. Our hearts--those of the whole nation--went out to our brothers and sisters there, and still do. I still marvel and wonder, considering the burdens I'm sure they carry, and probably will for a very long time to come.


Tonight I'm in Atlanta, traveling as usual, for my job as a national sales trainer. I decided to catch a movie after my work day last night and I went and saw the recent Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock film, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close." While it isn't a film about 9/11, per se, it does tell the story of a young boy who loses his father (Tom Hanks) in the collapse of one of the Twin Towers. He goes on a journey of self-discovery as he searches all over New York City trying to find the lock for a key his late father left behind. It is a touching and thought provoking journey, and also--I thought--a remarkable acting job for a young, new actor ... the 2010 Jeopardy! Kids Week winner, Thomas Horn.

Besides the fact that the film had some wonderful shots of New York City, not to mention some powerful acting by all involved (Max Von Sydow, for example, was amazing as the boy, Oskar's, neighbor), what struck me the most was the way the movie evolved and addressed the mourning so many New Yorkers have had to deal with and are probably still struggling with in ways today. It did bring Oskar closure in the end, I felt, but it also had a far deeper, farther-reaching and more universal effect. It reached out and touched everyone, including the audience. It certainly touched me in the process.

Triumph is so often an difficult and cathartic experience, whether it's the positive kind (like achieving a success) or the more trying kind (working through a tragedy like this). My own opinion is that both kinds of triumph are positive because both bring about change and growth; both initiate coming to know ourselves better. I think that's why most of us love coming of age films, underdog movies and dramas or tragedies that end up inspirational in the end. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" was all three of these for me. It made me appreciate more all that New York and its citizens have gone through, on a much deeper level. It also made me look at grief and the grief process differently as well, I think. It helped me understand Triumph on a whole different level as well. I think the film made me more sensitive in ways. What can I say but that I'm very grateful I saw it.

You might disagree. You might find it a little slow and even contrived at times; it's both of these in ways. But, I also found it insightful and triumphant. I hope you'll go see it and see for yourself. Please post a comment if you do and let me know what you thought of it. It's "extremely poignant," if nothing else.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_quK9SEGYE

Enjoy and here's to LIVING LIFE, the good days and the bad days, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close!"