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Everything is Illuminated
Directed by Liev Schrieber
By David Wallace
“Everything
is Illuminated” is the directorial debut from Liev Schrieber,
long known in acting circles as an “actor’s actor”;
he can now definitively be described as an “actor’s
director” as well. Based on the acclaimed novel of the same
name, “Illuminated” is in many ways a marvel of storytelling.
Schrieber never gets bogged down in heavy handedness, allowing the
actors, the camera and the music to tell the story.
And what a story it is. Elijah Wood has finally made a good movie
about a lost ring. He plays Jonathan Safran Foer (also the name
of the novel’s author – though this is not a true story),
a rather bookish New York Jew obsessed with the memories and history
of his family. Over the course of his life, he has collected random
memories and personal effects of various family members in little
Zip Lock bags – creating a sort of junk-laden family tree.
When Foer discovers an old photograph of his grandfather standing
in a field with a woman he doesn’t recognize, he sets out
to locate this woman and find out her significance to his family.
The journey takes him to the Ukraine where he enlists the help of
Alex (Eugene Hutz), his grandfather (Boris Leskin) and their dog,
Sammy Davis Jr, Jr. The two men run an organization in the Ukraine
that caters to wealthy American Jews who are seeking the artifacts
and family members who may have disappeared during the Nazi invasion.
It’s a bit of a scam – they’re relatively convinced
that all the people are dead and the artifacts long since buried,
sold or lost, but Jonathan is willing to pay good money to locate
the woman from the photograph, so they take it upon themselves to
drive him to the old village to find her.
What follows is a classic road movie – three men and a dog
in a car, traveling the Ukrainian country side (the film was actually
shot entirely in Prague). Elijah Woods’ Foer is not the type
of archetypal American that Alex has fantasized about all his life.
Looking something between Christopher Reeves’ Clark Kent and
the creepy character Woods himself played in “Sin City”,
he’s a far cry from the old school hip-hop persona that Alex
has adopted for himself. Played beautifully by Eugene Hutz (who
some may know from his work as the singer of the gypsy punk band,
Gogal Bordello), Alex wears an Adidas tracksuit, gold chains and
a Kangol hat – a diametric opposition from the muted suit
and black horn-rimmed glasses of his American counterpart. But in
each other they see themselves. Alex has spent his whole life seeking
the approval of his father and grandfather, and Jonathan’s
journey to reclaim his own past mirrors Alex’s desire to give
his own history a happy ending. His grandfather, whose own experience
becomes the heart of the conflict as well as the movie itself, is
a rather cantankerous old sod. Widowed, old and alone, he begrudgingly
drives the unlikely crew across the country. Grandfather’s
love of the charismatic, slightly batty dog juxtaposed with his
constant disapproval of Alex provides a clever counterpoint –
and helps keep the story grounded.
Schreiber’s adapted screenplay is marvelous. Written from
Alex’s perspective, and in his own broken English, it flows
effortlessly. It is at times very funny, but when the story’s
obvious emotional weight kicks in, the dialog is touching and honest.
The Jewish experience during WWII has been told to death by Hollywood,
but “Everything is Illuminated” puts a new touch on
the old cliché. The brutality of what transpired is implied
but rarely shown, and Schreiber’s instinctive, light touch
gives the film weightlessness in the best sense of the word.
Matthew Libatique’s cinematography is fantastic, as is the
mostly traditional Ukrainian score performed by guitarist Marc Ribot,
accordionist Robert Burger and clarinetist Douglas Weiselman. This
is a little film that could do huge box office business along the
lines of “Life is Beautiful” or “My Big Fat Greek
Wedding”. Eugene Hutz is an out and out star and this film
should provide the perfect vehicle for an entrée into Hollywood
if he so chooses to make one. Elijah Woods, in his first significant
role since the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, should have
no problem transitioning out of Frodo mode and getting back to being
a serious actor. “Everything is Illuminated” is a stunning
directorial debut, features a bang up ensemble cast and has all
the makings of an indie classic.
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