Everything is Illuminated

Everything is Illuminated marks the directorial debut of actor Liev Schreiber (who doesn’t actually appear in the film), and there’s no doubt that the movie is one of the most impressive first efforts to come along in a while. Based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated casts Elijah Wood as Foer – a quirky young man who decides to track down the woman responsible for saving his grandfather’s life during the Second World War. Assisting him on the quest are Alex Jr (Eugene Hutz) and Alex Sr (Boris Leskin), a pair of native Ukrainians who act as – respectively – Foer’s translator and driver. The most striking aspect of Schreiber’s directorial choices involves his occasional willingness to allow the visuals to tell the story; there are long stretches here without any dialogue, an effective choice that’s assisted by Matthew Libatique’s impressive cinematography. It’s also interesting to note that the film’s stark shift in tone – the first half is light and breezy, while the second half is surprisingly dark and dramatic – doesn’t feel jarring or off-putting, thanks to Schreiber’s seemingly effortless sense of style. That Wood delivers a subtle, thoroughly compelling performance doesn’t hurt, while newcomer Hutz comes off as exceedingly likable and charismatic. Everything is Illuminated would appear to mark the arrival of a talented new filmmaker, although one can’t help but hope that Schreiber doesn’t abandon acting completely.

***1/2 out of ****