Yes, I am trying to be funny and yes, I am referencing the movie, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.
I mock the title, but I actually really liked the movie. I wanted to see it despite the fact that I knew it would be heart wrenching… not just b/c 9/11 was so tragic for our country, but also because it hit so close to home for my family…as we were minutes from losing my dad that day.
My friend, Ellen, and I basically sobbed the entire time. It brought up so many emotions for me. I was deeply saddened for the boy and mother who lost their father / husband. I thought about the people from my hometown that were left in that same position…yet mine was spared that same pain. I was angry…reliving those events that happened almost 11 years ago to our country…if I let myself I can recall and feel it all as if it were yesterday.
Two feelings that I did have during the movie and the reason I recommend seeing it, if you can handle the roller coaster of emotion, were a sense of hope and even joy. I felt hopeful seeing a story, that we know was based on true events, bring so many people together. It was amazing to see this little boy strive to make sense of a horrific event and find so much love in the process. I truly believe that all things (most things???) happen for a reason. Although I do not and will never have the reason for terrorism, this story made me see a glimmer of meaning in the family’s life that suffered so terribly because of the Worst Day (what the boy in the story calls 9/11). To me the story was about silver lining and was a reminder that even at the worst times, the times we wish never happened, and the times you can never make sense of…there is always something to hold on to…something to hope for and keep you going (we all know where I think that comes from). That’s what brought me joy.
