Everything Is Illuminated (2005) November 9, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Liev Schreiber
Based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, and with a screenplay written & directed by actor Liev Schreiber, Everything Is Illuminated was certainly a departure from the norm when it hit cinemas towards the end of last year. With its cast of off-beat characters, and Ukrainian setting, this was never going to be a big-opener at the box office. But it’s really good just to know that movies like this are still being made.
The story follows Jonathan (Elijah Wood), who is a collector. He avidly keeps mementos sealed in plastic bags so he will ‘remember’. In trying to discover what happened to his grandfather during WWII, he flies to the Ukraine in search of a woman who had helped him flee Europe. Armed with only a picture and the name of the village, he joins up with Odessa Heritage Tours (Alex and his grandfather Safran) who agree to drive him to his destination. But the trip does not run smooth, and Jonathan’s journey becomes a journey for all three, as they learn about life, their heritage and themselves.
I think one of the biggest strengths of this movie is its ability to be weird, but never at the expense of alienating the audience. There are moments of beautiful cinematography and direction, and equally powerful plot developments especially as the gangs’ journey draws to a close. To say quite where the story takes you may be ruining it slightly, but it definitely keeps you engrossed right to the end.
The cast are fantastic, especially stars Elijah Wood and Eugene Hutz who play their simple characters to maximum effect. Elijah is a wonderful choice for the innocent ‘collector’, and from almost a blank slate of emotionless indifference, creates a character who we are happy to follow on his quest for family knowledge. Eugene Hutz as Alex on the other hand, turns the tables on the regular ‘funny sidekick’ role, and even though he does provide much of the humour during the movie, it’s the emotional connection to his Grandfather, and later Jonathan, that provides Hutz with an opportunity to really impress.
Pulling off the difficult job of being an indie-movie that could still appeal to a mass audience, Everything Is Illuminated is certainly a triumph of book-to-film adaptations (especially since the novel was already critically acclaimed on release). It’s both an engaging and different film, which looks at issues more emotionally intense than the premise would imply. Highly recommended, but be prepared for some surprises – this movie is much more involved than I thought it would be. Perhaps that’s part of its charm.
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