Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Reign Over Me

While reading Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, I was reminded of a movie I watched recently titled Reign Over Me. Both the novel and the movie are focused around 9/11 tragedies, and thus share several thematic similarities.

            Reign Over Me tells the story of a middle-aged man named Charlie Fineman who has lost his wife and three daughters in the 9/11 attack. The plot revolves around the reunion of Charlie with his former roommate, Alan Johnson, and how Alan helps Charlie cope with his grief. Alan went to dental school with Charlie, and is now an established dentist living with his wife and two daughters. Charlie, on the other hand, has discontinued his practice since the incident and now plays in a local band.  Charlie initially treats Alan as an acquaintance because he doesn't remember him, but as old memories are re-surfaced, they both become close friends again. Alan realizes, however, that Charlie has intentionally repressed his memories about the loss because he becomes infuriated if anyone tries to remind him of his family. Therefore, Alan convinces Charlie to seek help from one of his colleagues, Dr. Angela Oakhurst, who is a psychiatrist in the same building where Alan works. Although Charlie reluctantly visits Dr. Oakhurst, he does not talk to her about the tragedy; instead, he decides to open up to Alan. After reiterating the tragedy, Charlie goes back home and tries to commit suicide by cop. As a result, he is apprehended and forced to undergo three days of intense psychological evaluation, after which it is recommended that he should be committed to a psychiatric facility. During the court trial, however, the Judge realizes the complexity of the case, and thus he assigns Charlie’s in-laws the responsibility of deciding whether or not he should be committed. They decide to allow Charlie to continue leading his life normally, and the movie ends with Charlie moving into a new apartment.

            One of the first similarities I noticed between the novel and the movie was that they both have protagonists who have been personally affected by the 9/11 tragedy - Oskar lost his father to the attack, while Charlie lost his entire family. Although Charlie appears to be in his mid-30s, the trauma has caused him to mentally regress back to a young child. Therefore, his behavior and thinking in the movie are very similar to that of Oskar’s in the novel. Essentially, both these protagonists live in their own little world, driven by memories of their lost ones. For example, Oskar tries to hold onto memories of his Dad by embarking on a journey to unravel the mystery behind the key. Similarly, Charlie tries to keep his family’s memories fresh by remodeling the kitchen over and over again. The viewer learns towards the end of the film that Charlie does so because in the last conversation he had with his wife, they argued over a future kitchen remodeling project. Additionally, both characters choose to talk to a friend about their problems as opposed to their therapist. Also, both Charlie and Oskar resort to music as a distraction mechanism – Oskar carries his tambourine with him and Charlie resorts to his iPod anytime he feels distressed. Amongst other things, the biggest difference I saw between the two characters (apart from age) was that Oskar is comfortable talking about his Dad’s death whereas Charlie refuses to discuss any details of the tragedy or his life before 9/11.

            Along with having similar protagonists, the movie and the novel are also thematically related because they both are focused around the idea of coping with loss and grief. Losing a loved at any age is extremely difficult, but as is evidenced by Oskar and Charlie, each person deals with loss in his or her own unique way. Oskar continually strives to keep his Dad’s memories fresh in his mind by recollecting the moments/games they shared, and by going on an adventure to uncover the truth behind one of his father’s possessions (the key). Charlie, on the other hand, contently roams the streets of New York in his motorized scooter, and tries his very best to suppress any memories of his family. It’s not that Charlie does not want to remember his family; rather, it appears to be a coping mechanism that he has employed in order to alleviate some of the pain. Another common theme between the two narratives is the absence of communication. In the novel, Oskar’s grandparents have difficulty communicating with each other, and even Oskar himself cannot seem to communicate properly with his mother. This idea is also portrayed in the film because Alan and his wife, Janeane, have subtle marital tensions due to the lack of communication, and Charlie refuses to communicate with anyone (except Alan) about the tragedy. Thus, both works go to show that effective communication is not only crucial for one's interpersonal relationships, but it also helps a person cope with difficult times.

            Lastly, Grandma’s comment in the novel about how “it’s always necessary” (314) strongly reminded of the movie’s ending scene where Janeane Johnson tells her husband, Alan, “…I probably don’t tell you this enough, but I love you.” This comment further portrays how vital communication is and it also stresses the importance of effectively relaying one’s emotions to others (before it's too late). Overall, as both works demonstrate, it does not matter how one chooses to deal with grief as long as the person is able to achieve some sense of closure in the end.  

Trailer for Reign Over Me:

Thank you for reading!