final verdict for: "Everything Is Illuminated" (2005): This movie is not only one about a young man's journey to the past, it is a journey by itself.
Elijah Wood plays a young jewish man, sets out to a journey to Ukraine to find the traces of his families past, when a photo of his grandmother is presented to him by his grandmother on her deathbed. But what the compulsive collector is about to find will not only change his life, but also that of the Ukrainian heritage tourguide.
There are few things to criticize about this movie, which is why I will start with the flaws. First of all, Elijah Wood does a really good job acting his role. However he seems to be too stiff even for the role he is playing. He is giving his best and he is convincing, I am not saying he is not, but it just does not feel right. Elijah Wood has probably been playing the same roles too often to broaden his horizon for a role like this, even if he has the trade's skills.
The second point is the depiction of Ukraine in the film. I have to admit, I have not been to Ukraine in my life and I may not be qualified to make complaints, but the way the country is depicted makes it seem like it got stuck in soviet 1970's and even though the independance took place the people stayed the same and the symbols of the Soviet regime started rotting away. Everything seems to be reminiscent of the bygone "glory" of the era and left to decay. As I said, I do not quailfy to make a statement here, but I would think the Ukraine of 2004 to have looked a bit different than that. Correct me if I am wrong.
That's it. That is what I have to complain about. The actors are brilliant, the music is likewise, as well as the cinematography (including used color filters - and that is rare!), the pace of narration, it just all falls into place and left an impression on me that only "The Pianist" (1999) was able to leave so far.
There are so many layers to explore in this movie that as soon as it'S over you want to watch it again and it saddens me greatly that there are so many things, that I know are there, but that I can not understand. I will not be able to understand the nuances in the dialogue as I don't speak the language and subtitles are always shallow signifiers and I will also never understand the underlying jewish mythology in this piece of art.
I cannot say in how far the film differs from the book (as I have yet to read it), but since Jonathan Safran Foer has a cameo, he must have agreed with the movie.
If you want to watch a beautiful movie with great music, well developed characters, a multilayer cake of a story and that can both make you laugh and deeply move you, then clearly you should watch "Everything Is Illuminated".
An 8 out of 10.
Elijah Wood plays a young jewish man, sets out to a journey to Ukraine to find the traces of his families past, when a photo of his grandmother is presented to him by his grandmother on her deathbed. But what the compulsive collector is about to find will not only change his life, but also that of the Ukrainian heritage tourguide.
There are few things to criticize about this movie, which is why I will start with the flaws. First of all, Elijah Wood does a really good job acting his role. However he seems to be too stiff even for the role he is playing. He is giving his best and he is convincing, I am not saying he is not, but it just does not feel right. Elijah Wood has probably been playing the same roles too often to broaden his horizon for a role like this, even if he has the trade's skills.
The second point is the depiction of Ukraine in the film. I have to admit, I have not been to Ukraine in my life and I may not be qualified to make complaints, but the way the country is depicted makes it seem like it got stuck in soviet 1970's and even though the independance took place the people stayed the same and the symbols of the Soviet regime started rotting away. Everything seems to be reminiscent of the bygone "glory" of the era and left to decay. As I said, I do not quailfy to make a statement here, but I would think the Ukraine of 2004 to have looked a bit different than that. Correct me if I am wrong.
That's it. That is what I have to complain about. The actors are brilliant, the music is likewise, as well as the cinematography (including used color filters - and that is rare!), the pace of narration, it just all falls into place and left an impression on me that only "The Pianist" (1999) was able to leave so far.
There are so many layers to explore in this movie that as soon as it'S over you want to watch it again and it saddens me greatly that there are so many things, that I know are there, but that I can not understand. I will not be able to understand the nuances in the dialogue as I don't speak the language and subtitles are always shallow signifiers and I will also never understand the underlying jewish mythology in this piece of art.
I cannot say in how far the film differs from the book (as I have yet to read it), but since Jonathan Safran Foer has a cameo, he must have agreed with the movie.
If you want to watch a beautiful movie with great music, well developed characters, a multilayer cake of a story and that can both make you laugh and deeply move you, then clearly you should watch "Everything Is Illuminated".
An 8 out of 10.
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