Everything Is Illuminated

Liev Schreiber screenwrites and directs this quirky film adaptation of the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, in which a young Ukrainian man, Alex (Eugene Hutz) and his grandfather (Boris Leskin) forge an unlikely alliance with Jonathan Safran Foer. Jonathan (Elijah Wood) is a young American Jew on a pilgrimage to the small village from which his grandfather escaped, in search of the woman whom the family believes saved their patriarch from death. Jonathan is not the only one who finds something on this journey, however.  If Wood's handling of the protagonist is wooden and forced, at times, Eugene Hutz as Alex steals the show and is a delight to watch.

Everything Is Illuminated

Year Released: 2005