This is a nominee for Best Picture this year.
Oskar Schell is a young boy who has lost his father and had his world shattered. His father (played by Tom Hanks) had a chance appointment at the World Trade Center on September 11th and didn't make it. Oskar is trying to put things back together but he is borderline Aspergers and making those emotional leaps is beyond him.
To try and help him get to meet people, Oskar's father set up 'expeditions' for him. These involved map work and finding and exploring clues. With his father gone, Oskar finds a clue that he thinks must lead to something and sets off on an enormous expedition that takes him all over New York. He meets strangers and finds that almost everyone has their own pain and it's impossible not to share it.
His mother is played by Sandra Bullock and it's one of the more wrenching roles that I've seen lately. She is trying to grieve for her husband while living with a boy who gives her no empathic support. It's painful to watch but the payoff is well worth it.
I thought this was a very good movie but it's not for the faint of heart. You can't help but feel for Oskar but at the same time he's a bit frustrating to watch. You just want to somehow snap him out of his mental state. (Thank God, we don't have this problem at home!) Anyway, it was well worth seeing and it certainly is a deserving Oscar nominee.
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