It is said the journey is more important than the destination.
This maxim is artfully displayed in the new movie “Everything Is Illuminated,” based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s first novel, published in 2001.
Jonathan Safran Foer (the character), a young Jewish American man played by Elijah Wood, sets out for Ukraine in search of the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis during the Holocaust. He only has an old photograph and the name of a few cities to guide him. Expecting to meet up with a professional guide service, he meets a dysfunctional family that runs a company taking Jewish Americans on quests to find where their ancestors lived.
The founder of the company is Grandfather, played by Boris Leskin. Alongside him is Alex, an American culture junkie played by Eugene Hutz. He imitates American rappers by wearing baggy clothing and gold chains, and he idolizes Michael Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal.
The family that gives “tours of dead Jews” also includes Sammy Davis Jr. Jr., Grandfather’s “seeing-eye bitch” – even though Grandfather can see just fine. The dog’s redundant name and the fact the family has convinced Grandfather he is blind gives the audience a taste of how peculiar the family is.
The family clashes with the nerdy Jonathan. However, he isn’t exactly normal himself – he puts objects that represent people or experiences in his life into a bag for fear he’ll forget the moment.
At first Alex thinks Jonathan is a writer. “I’m more of a collector, really,” says Jonathan, who wears eyeglasses and sports a black suit.
During the journey, the collector gathers something he can’t possibly fit into a plastic baggy: connections and relationships with people he won’t forget.
Together, the family and Jonathan set out to find the person who saved Jonathan’s grandfather. The first half of the movie is full of wisecracks showing the interaction between the reserved personality of Jonathan, the grumpiness of Grandfather and the joking antics of Alex.
Alex serves as the translator for Jonathan, often giving a choppy translation. However, the audience gets the pleasure of what was actually said through subtitles. This makes for humorous scenes as we see Alex’s translation and Jonathan’s reaction.
Grandpa yells, “Shut up!” to Alex and Jonathan in the backseat of the car. Alex’s version to Jonathan is that Grandpa politely stated they’ve almost reached their destination.
At first the road trip turns into that terrible family trip where everything goes wrong: Everyone’s fighting, the driver gets lost and the car runs out of gas.
When the mismatched trio arrives at a hotel to spend the night, Alex gives Jonathan a piece of advice in broken English: “Make sure to secure the door when I am gone. There are many dangerous people who wanna take things from Americans, and also kidnap them. Good night!”
The movie changes completely in mood, taking on a more emotional tone in the second half.
Like the movie’s feel, the characters also change.
Although Jonathan comes off as the central character the audience identifies with, the movie consists of three heroes. (Maybe four, counting the dog – it did a good job of sticking its head out the window.)
Grandpa probably goes through the biggest change as he goes from being a grumpy old man to an old man who is filled with peace. Viewers see Grandfather’s past through his daydreams that may seem confusing, but come together in the end. Alex shows that he has a big heart and an intellectual side within his clownish personality.
Director and screenplay writer Liev Schreiber is faced with the challenge of turning an acclaimed book filled with accents and odd characters into a motion picture, and he brilliantly steps up to the plate through his casting. Schreiber’s best find isn’t “Lord of the Rings” star Wood, but first-time actor Hutz, who was found in a New York City Ukrainian punk band. Already accustomed to the stage, Hutz masters Alex’s outgoing personality and adds authenticity to the movie.
Schreiber was forced to exclude some of the novel and subsequently based the movie on the first story, “A Very Rigid Search.” The book also goes into more detail into the past while the movie stays in the present. Like the book, the movie is told from Alex writing letters to Jonathan.
“Everything Is Illuminated” turns into a story about the characters’ connections and links to different places. It leaves viewers thinking how they can apply the movie to their own life after they leave the theater – exactly what a good movie should do.
“Everything Is Illuminated” is rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, sexual content and language. The movie, with a runtime of 1 hour and 44 minutes, is opening soon at the Bijou; check bijou-cinemas.com for show times.

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