Customer Reviews

Everything Is Illuminated

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

On very rare occasions, it's a good idea not to follow the book.

Jonathan Safran Foer's cult novel "Everything Is Illuminated" has a wild chronology, and the journey is sprinkled with magical realism and countless flashbacks to minor characters. It COULD be crammed into a film, but it would not be a very accessible one. In fact, it might be almost unwatchable.

Enter actor Liev Schreiber, who chopped out much of the backstory and focused on the "road movie in the Ukraine" storyline. No, it's not like the book. But taken on its own, "Everything Is Illuminated" is a a striking, humorous and poignant film. Schreiber should be proud.

Jonathan (Elijah Wood) has a funny fixation about remembering the past, which includes putting life souvenirs in plastic baggies and taping them to the wall. So his curiosity is piqued when his grandmother tells him of Augustina, a woman who rescued his grandfather during World War II. With only a ring and a photo to guide him, Jonathan travels to the Ukraine to find Augustine.

He's met at the station by Alex (Eugene Hutz), a hip-hop tour guide who speaks his own peculiar dialect, Alex's weird, melancholy grandad (Stephen Samudovsky), and grandad's "seeing eye b*tch." As they search the Ukraine for Augustine, if she is still alive, Jonathan begins to learn about the ways the past infringes on the present -- and a bit about himself as well.

Schreiber apparently decided to adapt "Everything Is Illuminated" when he began to chronicle his own family history, and discovered that it was strikingly similar to Foer's novel. For a beloved cult novel, editing and reshaping is a risky business. But in Schreiber's case, it becomes a whole different animal -- it retains the spirit of the original, if not the sense of history.

While this is Liev Schreiber's directorial debut, it doesn't feel like one. Instead, it feels polished and experienced, with beautiful cinematography that ranges from night skies to a field of dazzling sunflowers. In sepia-toned flashbacks, Schreiber follows the less-is-more rule by merely hinting at the Holocaust's horrors, which is, oddly enough, more effective.

And his script has pathos and anguish, but also plenty of humour (most of it provided by Hutz), such as the scene where he tries to figure out what a vegetarian is, prompting Wood to tell him firmly "Nothing! No meat!"... only to have both men ask what's wrong with him. The only problem is that at times the road-trip format gets a bit precious, and the storyline stalls once or twice.

Elijah Wood gives a remarkably subtle performance as a quiet, slightly neurotic young man who seems to be searching for something in the past to make him complete. Hutz balances him out with the colourful, slightly wonky Alex. He's both comic relief and a sort of wiser older brother for Jonathan. The plot revolves around these two, and they are balanced out well.

Okay, it's not the book. But then again, it really doesn't pretend to be. Instead, Liev Schreiber's "Everything Is Illuminated" is a bittersweet comedy that will leave you with a smile.

I have not read Jonathan Safran Foer's book "Everything Is Illuminated", and knew nothing of it when sitting down to watch the film adaptation. I only knew that the film starred Elijah Wood and was actor Liev Schreiber's directing debut and it sounded interesting from descriptions I read. So my expectations were pretty modest. I certainly did not expect Schreiber to hit one out of the park his first time up to bat. However, Everything Is Illuminated is indeed a home run and one of the best movies of the year, in my opinion.

Elijah Wood is excellent as Jonathan, a rather odd fellow obsessed with collecting things, particularly as mementos of the past. He travels to the Ukraine and learns a great deal about life, himself, and the future by searching for the past. Also a standout is Eugene Hutz as Jonathan's Ukrainian guide who digs Michael Jackson and wants to be an accountant. Hutz is apparently not an actor, he is the leader of a popular rock band. However, you would never know that he's not an actor, his performance is excellent. The first half of Everything is Illuminated is very humorous, the second half very dramatic. However, the change is tone is very slight. The humor is very funny and the drama is equally potent. The later scenes are very moving and heartfelt without every sinking into cloying sentimentality. The movie from beginning to end is beautifully directed, with wonderful cinematography showcasing the lovely Ukrainian countryside. Schreiber seems to have a very good feeling for visual style. At times it almost reminded of one of my favorite visual stylists: Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Everything Is Illuminated is a wonderful movie. Well directed, well written, well acted, and with it's heart in exactly the right place. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you think. Very few directorial debuts turn out this good. In 2004, Zach Braff unleashed Garden State and became an unlikely wunderkind director, in 2005 Liev Schreiber has done the same. This is one of 2005's best movies. Don't miss it.

I watched this twice, and I honestly never believed I'd see Elijah Wood's character upstaged, but it happened in this movie. The crazy Ukranian (Alex), played by the delightful Eugene Hutz, stole the show with his humor, unique mannerisms and choice of specific English words, adding depth to an already intriquing, emotionally layered film. If not for the humor, this story might've been too heavy. Whether you feel the ending is sad depends upon perspective. Perhaps the grandfather's burdened spirit was finally released after carrying a secret he kept hidden from his family and his own broken heart? This is another movie that has inspired me to read the book. Fantastic!
Chrissy K. McVay - Author

Being an Israeli Jew of naturally sarcastic nature as well as a lover of different and independent cinema, it always gives me pleasure to see a film that takes a view on the holocaust that's sensitive and respectful while also being original and unusual. While I haven't read the book - or, for that matter, heard of its existence prior to watching the film - and therefore cannot, like some other reviewers, comment on how they stack up in comparison, Everything Is Illuminated gave me great pleasure, and I can certainly comment on that.

To label Everything Is Illuminated a holocaust film would be to do it great injustice, even though it is undeniably about the holocaust. So would labeling it as a comedy or a travel film, although it's about a journey and is as exceptionally funny as it is moving. Everything Is Illuminated is about Jonathan Safran Foer - played to minimalist perfection by Elijah Wood, in the most impressive dramatic performance I've seen him in yet, with a poker face that shows nothing and reveals all - a young American Jew, and an obsessive collector of family heirlooms and historical artifacts, who travels to the Ukraine on a journey to find the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. It's also about Alex, his tour guide through the Ukraine, and Alex's grandfather. What's fascinating about these characters is that in the beginning of the film they look like comic relief to balance out the melancholy nature of Wood's character; but both Alex and his grandfather go through fascinating changes throughout the film, and turn out to be at least as important as Jonathan. In fact, Boris Leskin's as the grumpy, self-declared blind grandfather turns out to be the finest dramatic performance in the film.

Aside from the surreal nature of the film and the characters, the beautiful mix of original acoustic music and Russian folk music, the sensitive cinematography and the chilling contrast between the beauty of the landscapes and the horrors of history, what made Everything Is Illuminated a powerful and moving experience for me was the fact that from Alex and his grandfather we get a very different and original viewpoint on this painful subject; several excellent films, such as The Grey Zone and Downfall, have already given us the point of view of the lower-rank Nazis who are presented as human beings who aren't necessarily fully aware of the moral implications of their actions but are caught up in the reality of the war. Everything Is Illuminated presents a point of view rarely treated before: Alex's point of view is that of a young man who was born many years after the war, who sees it as hardly more than cold historical fact, who finds himself having to face up to the horrors his own people - and maybe his own family as well - were capable of. The change in Alex's attitude - and his grandfather's - towards Jonathan, towards the Holocaust, and towards the Jewish people in general, makes the film a fascinating and original study in character development.

Everything Is Illuminated is a terrific directorial debut for actor Liev Schreiber, and one of the most original and unique films of 2005. It's a highly recommended viewing experience, especially or anyone interested in the holocaust and World War II.

My wife picked up "Everything Is Illuminated" for me one day. She said she saw the DVD cover and thought that it looked right up my alley with its goggle-eyed Elijah Wood and the glaringly yellow background. I couldn't tell her that I'd seen the flick sitting at the rental place for some time and always passed over it BECAUSE of the goggle-eyed Wood. However, to my surprise this is one of the best films I've ever watched.

It tells the tale of Jonathan Safran Foer's quest to find a woman who saved his grandfather from the Holocaust so many years ago. Wood's character is very quirky, collecting odds and ends from different periods in his life in Ziploc bags and sticking them to a labeled wall full of family pictures. He heads for the Ukraine and the almost mythical town of Odessa. Once in the Ukraine, he meets up with his tour guide, Alex, a hip-hopping cool cat played with charm and perfect schtick by Eugene Hutz. Along for the ride is Alex's grandfather and his grandfather's seeing-eye b*#$h, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr. Don't worry about the dog's weird name, it's hilariously explained in the film.

As they make the trip to Odessa, first-time director Liev Schreiber creates and develops his tale with tender humor, moving flashbacks, and Hutz' goofy flair. He uses wonderful visuals, vibrant and sublime colors, and key moments of silence to progress the story.

I don't want to give away much more than the little bit I have. Just know that Wood's character and his companions grow in heart and mind as the story rolls along. Hutz' grandfather plays a key and moving role in the film, and it's hinted at until the very end of the movie.

I'll be a man and say that this film brought me to tears. I laughed out loud at times, stared in awe at others. This is a wonderful work of art and I highly suggest it to anyone who has ever wanted to run the gamut of emotions while watching a film.

Turning a book into film is a sketchy proposition. You never know what the directors, screenwriters, and everyone else involved in the pre, intra, and post-production processes will do with it. Never having read the book ("Everything is Illuminated" by Jonathan Foer), I can't draw any comparisons ...but this movie definitely made me want to read it. However, I can tell you what an independent gem this film is, and why most of you will enjoy it.


The films innate quirkiness will draw many viewers in and hold them to the very end. This was undoubtedly the picture's strongest aspect. Elijah Woods plays Jonathan Foer, an American born Jew who's obsessive/compulsive disorder makes him "collect" things. He claims he does it so he'll remember everything but as the film rolls on we see that he's gathered such artifacts as false teeth, insects, and other oddball items. And added to his strange collection one day is a photograph given to him by his ailing grandmother, a photo of his dead grandfather standing next to a pretty woman. The image was taken in the Ukraine, just before the Nazis attacked Russia, and Jonathan doesn't recognize the woman. His grandmother refuses to speak to him about who she is. Jonathan's obsessive/compulsive behavior then takes him to the Ukraine to find out who she was and how she'd affected his grandfather's life ...and ultimately his own.


Once inside the former Soviet Union, we get to see Jonathan through the eyes of another quirky duo, a grandfather and grandson, who are "experts" in helping American Jews find their heritage in the Ukraine. Ukrainian punk-band leader Eugene Hutz stars as Alex (one of three Alex's actually, a name passed from grandfather, father, to son), one of Jonathan's roughshod drivers and his only translator. Young Alex's English is questionable and he initially views Jonathan as a kind of freak - of course the big glasses and undertaker-style clothes Jonathan wears don't help his perceptions. But Alex is also trying to discover who his own grandfather is (another "Alex" played by Boris Leskin, MEN IN BLACK), and why he pretends to be blind (Grandpa Alex is also the main driver of their beat-up European car, which adds some initial comic relief but later becomes extremely important and poignant).


Then, of course, there's the "deranged" dog, Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. (Yes, that's two Jr.s), Grandpa Alex's "seeing eye b!tch." Jonathan has a fear of dogs that seems extreme but later we find that both Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. and Jonathan are bizarre kindred souls - neither of them will eat something that's been on the floor, for example. But they both have surprising abilities even though we see them initially as just messed-up (I'll stop there for fear of giving away too much).


The other strong point I liked about this little film was that it was loaded (perhaps overflowing, some might say) with symbolism. In a Hollywood world where we're spoonfed every detail, it was nice to see a movie keep it "real". It doesn't drop to the lowest common denominator. If you don't understand something, oh well. And there's lots to think about once the film is over, too. There's a reason Grandpa Alex claims to be blind but isn't, and it's a powerful message. There's a reason Jonathan "sees" all his Ukrainian acquaintances once he returns to the States. There's a reason the house where Jonathan finally finds some answers to his many questions is surrounded by sunflowers. Keep your eyes and mind open while watching and you'll be greatly rewarded.


I'm going to end this review by commenting on the heavy-handed Holocaust films that've infused Hollyweird over the past several years. Although the Holocaust was a horrible event, and it's something we need to make sure never happens again, beating us over the head with it isn't always the best method to achieve sledgehammer recognition. Sometimes less is more, and this film achieved a sense of horrible clarity in just a few short shots that many Holocaust films couldn't do in as many hours.


In case you didn't get it, this is a fantastic movie.

This was truly a hidden gem! Visually stunning, a beautiful touching story and some wonderful acting. Ukranian born Eugene Hutz was an excellent choice to play Alex, the "tour guide" of this movie. 33 year-old Hutz's only prior film credits were a movie "short" and a documentary in 2004 (he is better known as the singer, lyricist and visionary of the acclaimed gypsy punk rock band 'Gogol Bordello'). This comedy/drama will keep you fascinated for the entire 105 minutes. The deleted scenes are also very enjoyable but would have been a bit "overboard" on the comedic side. Elijah Wood is very good as the solemn, google-eyed American who embarks on this journey through the beautiful Ukranian country side along with Alex, Alex's Grandfather & their dog "Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.". As critics "Ebert & Roeper" reported on this movie, "Two Thumbs Up" (Ebert gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars).

This movie begins in goofiness and ends in silence and memory. One of the best movies of the past year.

Not only is everything illuminated, but the glow from this movie also provides warmth and, at times, deep heat. The acting is so understated that this might be a video diary - a sign of truly wonderful performances. This is a film with only a nominal protagonist. There are a core of protagonists, or perhaps the film is the protagonist - itself an almost autistic Proust, where the concrete realities of experience are bagged and tagged, not because they are dead, but because they are so alive. Somewhere I read that the past is too much with us, but perhaps we are not with it enough. This movie cannot be captured in a review - everyone I know who has seen it makes a different meaning from it. All a reviewer can do is recommend it. When you don't want a chick flick, or a screwball comedy, or a romantic comedy, or a coming of age movie, nor an action-adventure, sci-fi or horror flick, but you want to taste life in a lingering reflection right about where the bitter meets the sweet, you could do much worse. This is one of the few movies in which virtually every character changes, even those doing the viewing.

Many movies try to juggle so many balls that one or two eventually get dropped. In "Everything is Illuminated" while things seem to be going in different directions, they all end up at one place in space, and several places in time. On the surface, the movie is about one man who is trying to piece together a moment in his family's past, another man who knows nothing about his family's past (but will find out), and a third man who knew about his past, deliberately blinded himself to it, only to discover it again in a more "illuminated " way.

But there is so much more to it than this. The themes are as complex as are the relationships between Jonathan (Wood), Alex (Hutz) and Grandfather Alex (Leskin). Initially, the chemistry among the three guys is both hostile and comic. Alex is as curious about America as Jonathan is about the Ukraine. Grandpa wants nothing to do with either of them. Sammy Davis Jr., Jr., Grandpa's "Officious Seeing Eye Bitch" makes a new friend. Sounds confusing? It really isn't, thanks to a lot of cleaning of up of the script (the outtakes are obvious distractions, wisely removed).

As the movie journeys from a clash of cultures to a unity of vision, it becomes a heartbreaking coming together. This is not a simple tear-jerker--it truly breaks your hearts. The illumination is so simple but its consequences are deep and thundering. "Everything is Illuminated" is as powerful a movie that has come out in the last five years. See it.

You know those nights when you're at the video store, and it seems like you've a) seen everything b) only things you haven't seen are movies you couldn't be paid enough to watch? Tonight was one of those nights.

Fortunately, I remembered hearing that Liev Schreiber's directorial debut film, 'Everything Will Be Illuminated' was a worthwhile watch. I had been hesitant to watch it because, frankly, the cover image creeped me out, making me think of Elijah Wood's gruesomely freaky character in 'Sin City' - a strange and unfortunate cover choice for this movie.

The film was actually superb, and the cover was indeed ill-chosen, for it reflected none of the lovely naturalism of the film itself. Elijah Wood plays a young man, who collects things that remind him of his family. After his grandfather passes, he travels to Ukraine to attempt to find the Shtetl his grandfather left only a week before the Nazi occupation. I don't want to say anything more about the plot, not to ruin the discovery for anyone who hasn't seen it.

In short, the movie is artfully and deftly crafted - the director's touch seems so light, one feels like events are really unfolding. The actors, who are all excellent, never seem to be 'acting', and the script is not the usual heavy-handed let's-spoon-feed-and-finger-point-to-our-audience schlock. Schreiber lets the unspoken speak louder than words, and captures the fragile and vivid emotions of his characters. I've always said that the mark of a good writer is that he treats all his characters with tenderness--the entire movie is created with just such love and beauty of spirit. There is even a wonderful dog, "Sammy Davis Jr., Jr.," who is a storyteller in her own right, played by Mickey and Mouse, top dog actors if you ask me.

So some night when you wonder which movie you should get, take this one. It is all-round exquisite.