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Everything is Illuminated (2005)
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Movie Review by Ilana 
March 28th, 2006
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Given the plot outline (semi-eccentric young Jewish American makes a "history quest" to learn more about his dead grandfather's experiences in Nazi Europe), EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED could easily have become a trite and predictable tale of the search for the meaning of it all. But, in fact, the film is a compelling account of a journey filled with all the things good journeys are known for: interesting characters, wonderous sights, and mishaps so ridiculous that only those who have actually travelled off the beaten path will relate to them. And, yes, by the end of it all, I actually felt a little illuminated.
The film's characters are quirky and endearing. Throughout the trip, Jonathan collects random objects, like a piece of potato and a grasshopper, which he meticulously preserves in ziploc bags so that he may later add them to his shrine back at home. Grandfather is a curmudgeonly old man who feigns blindness, and therefore must "rely" on his equally ill-tempered Official Seeing Eye b*tch (whose name is Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.). And the most premium character of all is Alex, the American-obsessed Ukranian who exuberantly mixes his metaphors and uses almost-right vernacular. The three main characters were much more than simply a sum of their idiosyncrasies -- as the movie progresses their guards begin to drop and they become human beings that one can relate to and invest in.
Kudos to director Liev Schreiber (whom I have appreciated since his acting work in two lesser-known films, WALKING AND TALKING and THE DAYTRIPPERS). Schreiber transforms what was probably a fantastic book into a visually pleasing story. He uses interesting camera angles, vivid colors, literary symbolism, and just a touch of magical realism (in an AMELIE-esque style) to chronicle the trio's journey as an interconnected threesome, in addition to three individual men figuring out, yup, you guessed it, the meaning of it all.
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