British director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours) tackles the aftermath of 9/11 in this extremely earnest adaptation of the bestselling novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. It follows Oskar (Thomas Horn), a nine-year-old New Yorker who may have Asperger's, as he goes to obsessive lengths to comprehend the death of his father (Tom Hanks) in the World Trade Center, aiming to find a lock that fits a key that once belonged to him. But, after starting with a mystery, the drama becomes a repetitive trip into prepubescent neuroses with Oskar harbouring a guilty secret, undisclosed even to his overwhelmingly understanding mother (Sandra Bullock). Horn carries the film with an extraordinarily detailed portrayal of an irritatingly precocious boy, and Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright are also exceptional as strangers he meets on his travels. However, Max von Sydow eclipses them all, earning an Oscar nomination with a deft, delightful performance as Oskar's curmudgeonly companion. While the conclusions drawn may test your patience, the performances draw you in.