Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) is a smart but socially inept boy who has difficulties with daily life: the playground swings or the subway make him so afraid that he loses control. Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks) sets up treasure hunts through New York to help Oskar master new situations and confront his fears. But Thomas is killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11, and the aftermath proves extremely difficult for Oskar and his mother (Sandra Bullock). Then Oskar finds a key in his father's closet and is convinced it's the beginning of another one of his father's treasure hunts. A neighbor (Max von Sydow) helps Oskar find the lock that fits the key.

Director Stephen Daldry (The Hours) and screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) manage to make a movie out of the most significant event of the last decade without resorting to over-emotional Hollywood pathos. Daldrey uses his famous actors sparingly - Tom Hanks is seen only is flashbacks and Max von Sydow doesn't say anything - while Thomas Horn is the focus of most of the film - a film very worth seeing, even if the deep sadness of its subject matter makes it hard to watch.