Everything Is Illuminated (2005)

A young Jewish American man endeavors to find the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II in a Ukrainian village, that was ultimately razed by the Nazis, with the help of an eccentric local.

Director:

Liev Schreiber

Writers:

Jonathan Safran Foer (novel), Liev Schreiber (screenplay)

Stars:

Eugene Hutz, Elijah Wood, Jonathan Safran Foer

6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eugene Hutz	...	Alex
Elijah Wood	...	Jonathan Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer	...	Leaf Blower
Jana Hrabetova	...	Jonathan's Grandmother
Stephen Samudovsky	...	Jonathan's Grandfather Safran
Ljubomir Dezera	...	Young Jonathan
Oleksandr Choroshko	...	Alexander Perchov, Father
Gil Kazimirov	...	Igor
Zuzana Hodkova	...	Alex's Mother
Mikki	...	Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.
Mouse	...	Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.
Boris Leskin	...	Grandfather
Robert Chytil	...	Breakdancer
Jaroslava Sochova	...	Woman on Train
Sergei Ryabtsev	...	Ukrainian Band Member (as Sergej Rjabcev)

Storyline

A young Jewish American flies to the Ukraine in search of his grandfather's past. He has a photograph and the name of a village. He hires the Odessa Heritage Tours, made up of a gruff old man and his English-speaking grandson. The three, plus grandfather's deranged dog, travel in an old car from Odessa into Ukraine's heart. Jonathan, the American, is a collector, putting things he finds into small plastic bags, so he will remember. Alex, the interpreter, is an archetypal wild and crazy guy. Alex asks the old man, "Was there anti-Semitism in the Ukraine before the war?" Will they find the village? The past illuminates everything.

---

Plot Keywords:

village | ukraine | jewish american | old man | jewish | 

---

Taglines:

Leave Normal Behind.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing images/violence, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Independent Pictures [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Ukrainian

Release Date:

16 September 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alles ist erleuchtet

Filming Locations:

Odessa, Ukraine

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$66,806 (USA) (16 September 2005)

Gross:

$1,705,595 (USA) (25 November 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Independent Pictures (WIP), Telegraph Films, Big Beach Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The blue car used throughout the movie is a Trabant 601 Kombi/Estate.

---

Goofs

When the Grandfather repeatedly sounds the horn of the car, he presses the middle of the steering wheel to do so. In the Trabant, the horn is activated by pushing the signal light lever forward.

---

Quotes

Jonathan: I'm distressed by dogs.
Alex: [in Russian to Grandfather] He is afraid of dogs.
Grandfather: [in Russian to Alex] Bullshit. No one is afraid of dogs.

---

Crazy Credits

Several songs are credited to the New York punk/Gypsy/Jewish klezmer band, Gogol Bordello, which is led by Eugene Hutz, who plays Alex in the film (the same band greets Jonathan when he arrives on the train). The last of these songs, "Start Wearing Purple (For Me Now)," which plays over the end credits, is credited to both a correct spelling (Gogol Bordello), dg and Gogol Bodello, an incorrect spelling.

---

Connections

References Battleship Potemkin (1925)

---

Soundtracks

"So Sensitive"
Written by Pete Miser
Performed by Pete Miser
Courtesy of Ho-Made Media

User Reviews

Austin Movie Show review...

This is precious. Everything Is Illuminated is sweetly and sublimely funny from the first delicious line of dialogue. Oh, how I've been waiting for this to arrive in Austin. While Elijah Wood is charming as ever as Jonathan Safran Foer (the real-life author of the novel Everything Is Illuminated), it's Eugene Hutz (playing Jonathan's Ukrainian tour-guide and translator, Alex) who truly steals this film. Alex is a hip-hop-lovin' Ukrainian break-dancer who, along with his grandfather, helps Jonathan find the woman who saved Jonathan's grandfather's life during World War II. The Ukrainian countryside has never looked so breath taking. I'm thinking of packing it all up and moving to the former Soviet state.

The tone of the film, however, shifts when Jonathan and Alex do finally meet the woman they're looking for, and suddenly, this adorable comedy turns into a heart-breaking historical drama about a Jewish village that was annihilated during the Nazi occupation. Everything Is Illuminated is about history, heritage, and the wisdom that can be gained from uncovering the past. It's perfect.