Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Skip the prestige-TV noise — Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, in Australia on ABC iview, is quietly one of the better ones. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. 2,159 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Tom Hanks anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. Available now on ABC iview — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The writing in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. A year after his father's death, Oskar, a troubled young boy, discovers a mysterious key he believes was left for him by his father and embarks on a scavenger hunt to find the matching lock. Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. It hit screens in 2011. What elevates Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Tom Hanks is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close was released in 2011, directed by Stephen Daldry. The full 129-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.