After the 9/11 incident, little Oscar was immersed in the pain of losing his father. In an accident, little Oscar broke a blue porcelain bottle left by his father and found a key in an envelope with the word "Blake" written in the bottle. So little Oscar, in order to find the secret left by his father, in order to "get closer to his father", began his search.
What the audience sees is a traditional, moving, typically Hollywood-style teenage coming-of-age story. But is it so simple? of course not. The film is very clever in choosing the 9/11 incident as the basis, and the later 9/11 as the space for developing the narrative. At this time, Oscar was the embodiment of America.
As the story unfolds, two questions, a clue, emerge. The first question is, where is the Sixth District of New York, the last "reconnaissance mission" Dad left to Oscar? The second question is, what is in the box corresponding to the key? where is it? The only clue was the name "Black", which is a very common name in America.
When Oscar embarks on the road of search, the first difficulty he faces is fear. Oscar stood on the long bridge across the sea and didn't dare to take a step forward, because he was afraid of steel-reinforced monsters, just as he was afraid of swings when he was a child. The collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center is like a heavy blow to modern industrial civilization. Although it is a terrorist act, for the United States, seeing this same bridge made of reinforced concrete always has lingering fears. So the audience saw that, shaking the bell, the courageous Oscar began to run on the long bridge, and he was on his way. That's when the camera goes up, telling the audience that the bridge is long, long, but Oscar is going.
After several unsuccessful searches, the strange tenant who did not speak appeared at the right time. The search alone made Oscar overwhelmed, and a large passage broke out, telling the strange tenants and the audience how much he missed his father, his self-blame for not answering the last call, and his desire to find his father's secret. The strange tenant -- of course, it soon turns out that the strange tenant is Oscar's grandfather -- decides to help Oscar.
The unspoken grandfather is reminiscent of the protagonist of Günter Glass' novel "The Tin Drum", little Oscar. Little Oscar in "The Tin Drum" refused to speak because he didn't want to grow up, and the grandfather here also refused to speak. And his grandson is called Oscar. It's very fun. The grandfather in the film went through World War II and did not come to the United States with Oscar's grandmother later. This non-speaking attitude seems to be expressing world relations during the Cold War. After World War II, the identity of a grandfather who was separated from his grandmother was very necessary. It should be noted that he came to the United States shortly after the 9/11 incident. Under the background of the era of global integration, the Cold War has disappeared, and terrorism has hit and threatened the world at this time. Although Grandpa still didn't speak, this attitude of reconciliation in the Cold War was very obvious. When he came to the United States, the world sided with the United States. Because there is a common enemy - terrorism, there is a common desire - to seek cooperation.
"Sometimes we have to face our fears". With the help of his grandfather, Oscar finally took the subway and crossed the bridge. This was the beginning of the Oscars' real take off. It was also the beginning of America's face-to-face disaster.
Can you hold on? Can we find the real "Black"? Grandpa's attitude is that he can't. Although he is almost desperate, Oscar still thinks that he can succeed, and he is insisting. And this is the American spirit that the film wants to convey to the audience. The insistence on finding "Black" is a continuation of the spirit of post-9/11 America.
After countless efforts, the "reconnaissance mission" returned to its origin and end. The "Black" Oscar was looking for was actually the ex-husband of the first visitor. The "Blake" that was found with great effort was an ordinary person, and the box contained the relics left to him by "Blake"'s father. As for the key and the blue china vase, Oscar's father bought it back as a gift to his wife. Getting here seems to solve the second problem. But obviously that's just an appearance. In the search for 472 "Blacks", Oscar experienced growth, constantly overcame difficulties, and gradually got out of the pain of losing his father. At the end of the story, Oscar wrote the same letter to 472 "Blacks". With Oscar's narration as the background, the audience sees several families named "Black", looking at people who are happy, calm, hopeful, and deeply attached to the past. At this time, "Black" became a whole - the American people. And Oscar's letter has become a declaration of the United States to all citizens.
Breaking through his psychological fear, Oscar, who stood beside the swing, really grew up. And this symbolizes America's rebirth from the 9/11 disaster. When he looked at the swing and read his father again, he found the bottom of the swing, the note his father left him. At this point, the first question is answered. District 6 found. District 6 is the ruined World Trade Center and that history. Just like the Martin Luther King Day and President's Day mentioned in the film, the Sixth District should not and cannot be forgotten by the United States.
The mother's confession in the second half of the film tells the fact that she silently loves and cares about Oscar. This played a sensational role in the film, and also paved the way for the success of the Oscars. She told the audience that the Oscars, or America's reinvigoration, was a composite of the silent efforts of all popular governments. The reconciliation between grandma and grandpa also heralds the great harmony of the world after the Cold War.
The 911 hit was really loud and very close.
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