The human mind is an unforgiving beast. How it reacts to life and all of its myriad of circumstances shapes you, restrains you, comforts you, befuddles you, and occasionally, if you're lucky, sets you free. 

This is not your usual review. Which is appropriate, as Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is not your normal movie.

I was born quite a number of years ago on the inauspicious date of September the 11th. When I was asked to review this film I had no idea what it was about and agreed so that Snarkhunters wouldn't miss covering it.

After signing up, I looked it up to get an idea of what I was going to see.

9-11

A marketing guru once told me a great truth: there are two things every human shares that are more precious to us than anything else. Our name and our birthday. They are inextricably connected to us. They make us who we are. That one word that anyone can say to confirm that they know you, and that one day when the world stops to celebrate the fact you exist.

My day is 9-11.

As such, I've avoided every movie and tv special about 9-11 because I find it a little too uncomfortable.

I found myself trapped. I promised to review this movie that many have said horrible things about: that it trivialises the significance of the day; that it is a cheap hollywood cash-in. Plus it was about that day. The worst day. My day.

As the houselights dimmed I took a deep breath and steeled myself for the worst. Perhaps this was a good thing. Low expectations quite often lead to a somewhat better-than-expected experience.

I had no idea just how wrong those expectations were, as this film has absolutely nothing, yet absolutely everything to do with the destruction of the Twin Towers 11 years ago.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a beautiful examination of how a New York City boy living with aspergers deals with the loss of his father in the attack on the Twin Towers.

Oskar's journey details how he lives with the emotional detachment that results from his condition, as he touches the lives of sufferers of other psychological issues: those struck with the shackles of obsessive compulsiveness; those too afraid to seek strength from within; and those who refuse to open up for fear of being hurt.

In doing so, this young lad experiences the addiction of  inquisitiveness; the exultation of defeating fear; and the discovery of love through inadvertent redemption. 

What makes this story so compelling and unique is the nexus that holds each apparently disparate sufferer's story together: the senseless and brutal attack that destroyed so many lives in an instant. 9-11.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is touching and insightful. 

It isn't so much a movie as an extension of a shared experience that began on September 11, 2001.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in creating this film for sharing something wonderful. For me it was a truly beautiful experience that I thoroughly recommend.

It helped me look at that day, the worst day, and to turn around and look forward again.